Using surfactant protein A to prevent eye disease in premature babies
Official title: Targeting Surfactant Protein A to Prevent Retinopathy of Prematurity
Funded at University of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr · NIH-11314571 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are exploring whether increasing surfactant protein A can protect premature babies' eyes from retinopathy of prematurity.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oklahoma City, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $471,607 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY033499-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11314571 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Infants born very prematurely (especially those with very low birth weight and early gestational age) who are at risk for or developing retinopathy of prematurity would be most relevant to this research.
✕Less likely to help
Full‑term infants, children with other causes of vision loss, or adults would not be expected to benefit from an ROP‑focused approach.
What this research studies
This research focuses on surfactant protein A (SP‑A), a protein that is often low in preterm infants and is present in retinal support cells. The team will use laboratory experiments and rodent models to study how SP‑A influences normal retinal blood‑vessel growth and later harmful neovascularization. They will examine links between SP‑A, VEGF, and cytoskeleton proteins to identify ways to encourage healthy vessel development while preventing abnormal vessel growth. The aim is to guide safer, targeted treatments for infants at risk of ROP.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to safer, targeted treatments that prevent blindness in preterm infants without the systemic risks of current anti‑VEGF drugs.
How similar studies have gone: Existing anti‑VEGF treatments can reduce ROP severity but raise systemic safety concerns, and targeting SP‑A is a novel approach with promising preclinical findings but no proven human results yet.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr
Oklahoma City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bhatti, Faizah N — University of Oklahoma Hlth Sciences Ctr
- Study coordinator: Bhatti, Faizah N
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AI-enhanced wide-field eye scans for detecting retinopathy of prematurity
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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.