Boosting eye cell energy to protect vision during bacterial eye infections
Targeting NAD metabolism to ameliorate bacterial endophthalmitis
This project aims to restore a key cell fuel called NAD+ to help protect vision in people with bacterial infections inside the eye.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wayne State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Detroit, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11304479 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are studying how bacterial infections inside the eye drain a critical energy molecule (NAD+) and cause retinal cells to die. They use gene and metabolic analyses and experiments in mouse eyes and cell models to track NAD+ levels, enzyme activity (such as CD38), and signs of cell energy failure. The team will test approaches to restore NAD+ through the cell’s normal recycling pathways and check whether that prevents the energy collapse and retinal cell death. Results from these lab and animal studies would guide ideas for treatments to preserve sight after severe eye infections.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for future clinical testing would be people who have, or are at high risk for, bacterial endophthalmitis—for example after penetrating eye injuries or recent eye surgery.
Not a fit: People with non-infectious eye diseases, chronic vision loss unrelated to infection, or infections caused by very different mechanisms may not receive direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to treatments that prevent vision loss after bacterial endophthalmitis by preserving retinal cell energy and survival.
How similar studies have performed: Restoring NAD+ has shown promise in other diseases and laboratory models, but applying NAD+ rescue to bacterial eye infections is a newer approach with mainly preliminary animal data so far.
Where this research is happening
Detroit, United States
- Wayne State University — Detroit, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kumar, Ashok — Wayne State University
- Study coordinator: Kumar, Ashok
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.