High-resolution retinal imaging of pigment cells in adults with and without retinal disease
Official title: Adaptive Optics Fluorescence Lifetime Ophthalmoscopy (AOFLIO) in healthy people and with disease
Funded at University of Waterloo · NIH-10663319 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers use a special eye-imaging method to map the health of retinal pigment cells in adults, including people with Stargardt disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Waterloo NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Waterloo, Canada) |
| Project start | September 1, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $170,362 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY032116-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-10663319 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (age 21 and older) who are healthy volunteers or have Stargardt disease and can attend an imaging session at the research site are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with dense cataracts, severe eye movement or fixation problems, children, or those unable to undergo noninvasive retinal imaging are unlikely to benefit from this imaging approach.
What this research studies
This project uses adaptive optics combined with fluorescence lifetime imaging to take very detailed pictures of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in living adults. During a short, noninvasive imaging visit you will have light-based retinal scans that measure how long fluorescent molecules in RPE cells emit light, which reflects cellular composition and health. The team will compare fluorescence lifetime maps across the macula in healthy adults of different ages and in people with Stargardt disease to spot cellular-level changes. The goal is to develop reliable cell-level biomarkers that could help diagnose and monitor RPE-related retinal diseases.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow earlier and more precise detection and monitoring of RPE cell changes to guide diagnosis and future treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Adaptive optics and fluorescence lifetime imaging have shown promise for revealing retinal changes, but combining them to image individual RPE cells in living human eyes is a novel advancement.
Where this research is happening
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University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Canada Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hunter, Jennifer J — University of Waterloo
- Study coordinator: Hunter, Jennifer J
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.