How the tiny blood vessels near a baby's fovea grow
Elucidating perifoveal vascular development in infants
Using handheld bedside eye scans to watch how the tiny blood vessels near the fovea develop in newborns and preterm babies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11161504 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
As a parent, this project means clinicians will use advanced handheld OCT angiography at the bedside to take 3-D images of the retina in newborns and infants to map blood vessel growth near the fovea. The team will include preterm and term infants, capture images over time, and link vascular patterns to known vision differences seen after prematurity. Where human samples are limited, experts will integrate these images with other data to build a clearer picture of normal and disrupted perifoveal development.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Newborns and infants—especially babies born preterm or those monitored in a neonatal intensive care unit—are the most likely candidates for the bedside imaging.
Not a fit: Adults and children without retinal concerns, or infants who are too medically unstable for bedside imaging, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better knowledge of how foveal blood vessels form could help doctors spot early signs of vision risk in preterm infants and guide future treatments to protect sight.
How similar studies have performed: Handheld OCT angiography has been used successfully in infants before, but detailed, longitudinal mapping of perifoveal vascular development in humans is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Xi — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Chen, Xi
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.