# Pathogenic Role of EPAC1 Signaling in Retinopathy of Prematurity

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MED BR GALVESTON · 2020 · $125,000

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Corneal exposure to chemicals by accident (e.g. alkali burn) or during a terrorist attack against U.S. civilians or
armed forces (e.g. sulfur mustard burn) often leads to corneal neovascularization that is characterized by the
invasion of new blood vessels into the cornea from the limbus. Corneal neovascularization is a vision-
threatening condition that may lead to lipid deposition, edema, persistent inflammation and scarring, resulting
in impairment of corneal transparency and visual acuity. Currently, there are only a few options to treat corneal
neovascularization and these treatments have significant limitations. There is a great need to develop new
strategies and therapies to prevent corneal neovascularization and vision loss against chemical threats. In this
application for Administrative Supplements, we propose to conduct experiments to generate preliminary data to
determine if Epac1 also plays a role in corneal neovascularization after chemical injury. The feasibility of the
work proposed is strongly supported by data generated from the research progress of the parental award and
by our preliminary data. Based on pilot data from this work, in the future, we will further evaluate and optimize
the therapeutic effects of ESI-09 and other novel Epac inhibitors in a rabbit model of corneal nitrogen mustard
burn. The proposed pilot work, together with future studies following this work, is expected to significantly
facilitate the development of novel countermeasures to treat corneal neovascularization and restore vision after
chemical threats.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10177281
- **Project number:** 3R01EY026629-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MED BR GALVESTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Wenbo Zhang
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $125,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-09-01 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10177281

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10177281, Pathogenic Role of EPAC1 Signaling in Retinopathy of Prematurity (3R01EY026629-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10177281. Licensed CC0.

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