Metabolic tuning in the eye to protect vision in aging and disease
Official title: Metabolic tuning and signaling in retinal health and disease
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11465710 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant supports research to understand how the retinal pigment epithelium keeps the eye’s cells energized and healthy, aiming to slow age-related eye degeneration.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $608,985 |
| NIH project number | 1R01EY039633-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11465710 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include people with age-related macular degeneration or related retinal conditions, at a stage where metabolic support could be modulated.
✕Less likely to help
Early-stage or non-metabolic forms of retinal disease may see limited or no direct benefit.
What this research studies
The project looks at how the eye’s supporting cells manage nutrients and metabolism to keep photoreceptors alive. Researchers will study the enzyme NNMT and how it changes energy and methylation balance in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). By uncovering how NNMT affects NAD+ and methyl donors, they hope to find ways to restore healthy RPE metabolism and prevent retinal degeneration like AMD. The work combines basic biology with approaches that could point toward future therapies to protect vision in aging and disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new strategies to preserve sight by preserving retinal metabolism in age-related eye diseases.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary data link NNMT activity to retinal metabolism and aging, with ongoing research suggesting metabolic modulation can influence retinal health.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Du, Jianhai — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Du, Jianhai
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
BRAVE Innovation Center for Viral Resistance in Chickens
A center at UW–Madison aims to create chickens genetically resistant to avian viruses like H5N1 by identifying host genes involved in virus replication using genome-wide CRISPR screening.
-
Center to Fight Vector-Borne Diseases in the Midwest
A Midwest program brings researchers, public health teams, and vector-control groups together to prevent diseases spread by ticks and mosquitoes.
-
Globally useful predictor for cervical cancer treatment response
This project aims to develop a simple predictive signature to personalize treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer using easy tests and imaging.
-
Neutrophil development with stem cells to understand their behavior
Researchers are studying how neutrophils, a type of immune cell, develop from stem cells to better understand why they can help or harm in infections and inflammatory diseases.
-
WREN: Expanding Research Capacity in Rural Primary Care Clinics
A nationwide network in Wisconsin will strengthen rural primary care clinics to participate in real-world research and bring more clinical trials to communities.
-
Targeting early oral GVHD to improve mouth health after stem cell transplant
A study at UW–Madison will explore why some transplant patients develop painful oral GVHD and test ideas to prevent and lessen mouth-related problems.
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.