# Functional Assessment Module

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2021 · $58,826

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT - FUNCTIONAL ASSESSMENT MODULE
The Functional Assessment Module (FAM) provides access to expert personnel and equipment for assessing
ocular structure and visual function non-invasively in living small animal models. The FAM enhances the
research environment by making available state-of-the-art equipment ranging from an electroretinogram (ERG)
system to an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, as well as a fulltime technician who can provide
training in the use of instruments and make consistent measurements for longitudinal studies. The FAM fulfills
the growing needs of investigators to characterize the phenotype of rodent models for retinal and other ocular
diseases and evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. This Module also promotes pilot projects by
providing technical help, which, because of current commitments or lack of experience, is often unavailable in
individual laboratories. The Module is located in three designated and specifically designed light-tight
procedure rooms within the Brehm Tower SPF animal housing facility, which is readily accessible to our
vision scientists. Adjacent to these procedure rooms is a rodent housing room specifically for dark
adaptation/dark maintenance. The procedure rooms, totaling 428 sq. ft., are accessed via a corridor that can
be lit by dim red light and house an Espion E2 Electrophysiology system for ERG measurements; a Phoenix
Research Laboratories Micron III retinal imaging device with green, red, and far-red filters, equipped with a
slit-lamp for imaging the anterior eye and a Meridian MERILAS 532D laser for performing laser-induced
choroidal neovascularization; a Bioptigen Spectral Domain Ophthalmic Imaging System with an InVivoVue
ClinicTM software suite for spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging; a
CerebralMechanics OptoMotry system for optokinetic analysis; a Neuroptics A-2000 animal pupillometer for
measurement of pupillary responses to light stimulation; and a Tonolab™ research rebound tonometer for
measuring rodent ocular pressure. During the prior granting period, the Functional Assessment Module was
extensively utilized by 6 participating investigators with another 3 being moderate users. In the next funding
period, 8 participating investigators (5 with NEI-R01 funding) anticipate using the Module to a moderate or
extensive degree to facilitate their vision research.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10246832
- **Project number:** 5P30EY007003-35
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** David Antonetti
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $58,826
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-05-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10246832

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10246832, Functional Assessment Module (5P30EY007003-35). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10246832. Licensed CC0.

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