A peptide-based test to identify immune causes of uveitis
Programmable Phage Display Peptidomes to Characterize Uveitis
This project uses programmable peptide libraries to find antibodies and viral markers in the eye, tears, and blood of adults with anterior uveitis to help pinpoint causes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11178676 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
I may be asked to give tear, intraocular fluid, and blood samples. Researchers will use large libraries of short peptides shown on harmless phages to capture antibodies and viral signals from those samples. They will read the binding patterns with high-throughput sequencing to identify possible human autoantigens or viral proteins linked to my uveitis. The team will compare results between people with idiopathic anterior uveitis and those with suspected viral-associated anterior uveitis.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21+) with idiopathic anterior uveitis or suspected viral-associated anterior uveitis who can provide tear, intraocular fluid, and blood samples are the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Children, people with non-anterior forms of uveitis, or those unwilling or unable to provide intraocular fluid samples may not qualify or benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could produce new tests that identify autoimmune or viral causes of uveitis so doctors can pick more targeted treatments and reduce vision loss.
How similar studies have performed: Phage-display peptidome and antibody-screening methods have found disease-related antibodies in other conditions, but applying them to intraocular fluid and tears for uveitis is a novel approach.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Doan, Thuy a — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Doan, Thuy a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.