Arrangement of the eye's light-sensing cells in health and disease
Photoreceptor mosaic in health and disease
Using advanced, noninvasive eye imaging, researchers will map tiny light-sensing cells in adults to learn how aging and conditions like age-related macular degeneration change them.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294099 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would visit the University of Washington team for noninvasive, high-resolution imaging that can visualize individual photoreceptor cells using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography. The researchers will compare images from adults with healthy eyes and those with age-related macular degeneration or inherited retinal disease, and may follow people over time. The project aims to identify early cellular signs of damage and to develop sensitive imaging markers that could show whether new gene, gene-agnostic, or stem-cell therapies are helping. Imaging sessions use specialized cameras and typically involve sitting at a device for short, outpatient visits without injections or surgery.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 and older with healthy eyes, age-related macular degeneration, or inherited retinal conditions who can attend imaging visits and tolerate noninvasive eye scans are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People younger than 21, those unable to sit for imaging, or individuals with eye media opacities that prevent clear imaging are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could provide earlier, more precise imaging markers of photoreceptor damage that help track disease progression and treatment response to better preserve vision.
How similar studies have performed: Adaptive optics and OCT have already been used successfully to image photoreceptors in living human eyes, but applying these methods broadly as clinical biomarkers for AMD and therapy monitoring is still being developed.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- University of Washington — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sabesan, Ramkumar — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Sabesan, Ramkumar
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.