AXON: Uncovering how eye nerve fibers break in glaucoma
Official title: AXON: Axonal biomechaniX to unveil injury mechanisms in glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy
Funded at Emory University · NIH-11365005 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study at Emory will use advanced imaging and AI to watch eye nerve fibers over time in people with glaucoma to understand what kinds of mechanical stress cause injury.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emory University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $565,218 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY037299-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11365005 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults diagnosed with glaucoma or at high risk, who can undergo longitudinal OCT imaging and follow-up visits.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without glaucoma or those unable to participate in longitudinal imaging may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
Glaucoma damages the optic nerve’s retinal nerve fibers and can lead to irreversible blindness. The team will combine 3-D imaging, biomechanics ideas, and artificial intelligence to observe how eye tissues distort under pressure in living patients. By following participants over time with OCT imaging, they hope to identify the specific mechanical insults that injure axons at the optic nerve head. This could explain why injury sites vary between people and help predict progression. The project builds on prior work showing biomechanics play a key role in glaucoma.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Gaining clearer clues about how glaucoma damages nerve fibers could lead to earlier predictions of progression and more targeted treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies hint at biomechanics being important, but direct in vivo observation in humans is a new advance with this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Emory University
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Girard, Michael — Emory University
- Study coordinator: Girard, Michael
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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.