# Identifying Molecular Signatures associated with Alzheimer's Disease in the Retina

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $433,875

## Abstract

Abstract
Recent studies in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients report localized retinal thinning and Aβ inclusions
in the neurosensory retina, suggesting the eye’s utility as a non-invasive indicator of brain health.
However, variation in methodologies between studies and other retinal complications due to other
diseases and age limit the use of the retina as a potential AD biomarker. A comprehensive micro-level
analysis of the retina is necessary to validate macrolevel clinical assessments. To identify potential
biological mechanisms related to AD-associated retinal altercations, we will conduct a transcriptomic
analysis of topographic and anatomical regions of retinal tissue from the left eye of autopsy-confirmed
cases alongside age-matched non-diseased tissue. Retinal tissue from the right eye of the same AD
case will undergo histopathological assessment for altercations of retinal structure and morphology to
correlate changes in gene expression with retinal pathology. Secondly, we will use single-cell
transcriptomics to identify specific retinal subpopulations impacted by AD. We hypothesize that AD-
associated transcriptional alterations will localize to retinal subpopulations implicated in AD retinal
pathology such as retinal ganglion cells and provide context to the retinal thinning observed in AD
patients. Brain tissue from the corresponding AD case will be stained through in situ hybridization for
transcripts identified through bulk and single-cell RNA-seq analysis to correlate AD brain
pathophysiology to AD retinal disease progression. Results from these studies would provide additional
mechanistic insight into the retinal thinning observed in AD and provide vital context to assess the
feasibility of using the retina as a biomarker for AD disease progression.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10111249
- **Project number:** 1R21AG070595-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer Ngolab
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $433,875
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-11 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10111249

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10111249, Identifying Molecular Signatures associated with Alzheimer's Disease in the Retina (1R21AG070595-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10111249. Licensed CC0.

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