Rebuilding the blood–retina barrier to learn how APOE gene types affect macular degeneration
Official title: Reconstruction of a human blood-retina barrier and perfused vascular system to investigate the role of APOE variants in age-related macular degeneration
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11270833 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will grow a human retinal tissue with blood-vessel channels to learn how different APOE gene types influence age-related macular degeneration in people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $211,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R21EY037046-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11270833 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be people with age-related macular degeneration or individuals known to carry APOE risk variants who are willing to donate blood or skin samples for iPSC generation.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking an immediate treatment or vision improvement should not expect direct benefit from this laboratory-based research.
What this research studies
This project will build a lab-grown human outer blood–retina barrier using human induced pluripotent stem cells that includes the retinal pigment epithelium and a choriocapillaris-like, perfused vascular compartment. The team will create versions of the tissue carrying different APOE gene variants and trigger lipid-rich sub‑RPE deposits similar to drusen to see how those variants change lipid handling and damage. They will optimize the system so it can be assembled reliably from cryopreserved cells and used for controlled comparisons. The goal is a human-relevant testbed to study mechanisms and to screen potential treatments that target lipid pathways in AMD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could clarify how APOE variants drive drusen formation and provide a human model to speed development of targeted therapies for AMD.
How similar studies have gone: Related iPSC-derived retinal models have reproduced sub‑RPE deposits and are promising, but directly comparing APOE variants in a perfused blood–retina barrier is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mesentier Louro, Louise Alessandra — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Mesentier Louro, Louise Alessandra
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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.