# Microglial Activation during Photoreceptor Degeneration

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2022 · $470,991

## Abstract

Project Summary
Retinal degeneration is a leading cause of blindness worldwide. All current treatments
for retinal degeneration, including experimental therapeutics like stem cell or gene
replacement therapy, are thought to be most effective when degeneration is caught in its
earliest stages. Unfortunately, the earliest detectable symptom of degeneration is often
visual impairment, which is only detectable after a large number of retinal cells have died
and disappeared. The ability to discern the first signs of cell stress, prior to apoptosis
and degeneration, could significantly improve the likelihood of delaying or preventing
vision loss. One common early indication of degeneration is activation of an immune
response, as the resident macrophages, called microglia, and infiltrating monocytes
migrate to and phagocytose injured neurons. The proposed research will utilize high-
resolution, in vivo OCT and AO-SLO imaging, flow cytometry, scRNAseq and
biochemical and immunohistochemical approaches to study the microglial response to
photoreceptor degeneration (Aim 1), the fates of infiltrating monocytes (Aim 2), and the
involvement of both cell types in re-establishing new homeostasis after dying
photoreceptors have been cleared (Aim 3). This work will contribute to the long-term
goal of monitoring and manipulating microglial dynamics in vivo so as to provide earlier
detection of and assessment of treatments for retinal degenerative disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10394346
- **Project number:** 5R01EY024320-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** MARIE E BURNS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $470,991
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2015-09-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10394346

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10394346, Microglial Activation during Photoreceptor Degeneration (5R01EY024320-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10394346. Licensed CC0.

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