Using advanced imaging to study eye health and diseases
Official title: Adaptive Optics Fluorescence Lifetime Ophthalmoscopy (AOFLIO) in healthy people and with disease
Funded at University of Waterloo · NIH-11009473 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing a new way to take pictures of the eye to see how healthy the cells in the retina are, which could help doctors better understand and track eye diseases like Stargardt disease in adults.
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 | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $191,233 |
| NIH project number | 7R01EY032116-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11009473 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research include adults with healthy eyes or those diagnosed with Stargardt disease.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with advanced retinal diseases or those under 21 years old may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing a new imaging technique called adaptive optics fluorescence lifetime ophthalmoscopy (AOFLIO) to better understand the health of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in the eye. By measuring the fluorescence emitted from these cells, researchers aim to identify changes that occur in both healthy individuals and those with diseases like Stargardt disease. The study will involve adult participants and will help in diagnosing and monitoring eye diseases by providing detailed insights into cellular-level changes in the retina.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved diagnostic tools for detecting and monitoring retinal diseases, potentially preserving vision for patients.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promise in using advanced imaging techniques for eye health, suggesting that this approach could yield valuable insights.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Canada Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hunter, Jennifer J — University of Waterloo
- Study coordinator: Hunter, Jennifer J
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Expanding a language and reading data repository to help researchers share and reuse data
A project to grow and improve LDbase, a data repository for language and reading research, so researchers can share and reuse data to help children with language-related difficulties.
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Adaptive Optics Fluorescence Lifetime Ophthalmoscopy (AOFLIO) in healthy eyes and in disease
A new imaging method called AOFLIO will be tested in healthy adults and people with retinal disease to measure how fluorescence lifetime relates to eye cell health.
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High-resolution imaging of the retina with advanced light technology
This grant aims to safely visualize individual cells in living eyes using next-generation imaging to better understand visual function and cellular energy.
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High-resolution retinal imaging of pigment cells in adults with and without retinal disease
Researchers use a special eye-imaging method to map the health of retinal pigment cells in adults, including people with Stargardt disease.
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High-resolution two-photon retinal imaging
A near-infrared two-photon imaging approach is being developed to let clinicians see individual retina cells and their chemical activity for people with retinal conditions.
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.