# Nanoparticle-Based Tracking of Retinal Ganglion Cell Transplant

> **NIH NIH K99** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $151,846

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
There is a critical need to translate retinal ganglion cell (RGC) therapies from lab to clinic, particularly cell
transplant therapies to repair degenerated eye tissues and restore visual function. RGC transplant has great
potential in treating degenerative retinal and optic nerve diseases, but key pre-clinical studies are hampered by
an inability to track transplanted cells. In this project, the candidate proposes to advance RGC transplant in
treating glaucoma through longitudinal and non-invasive tracking of RGCs with the aid of nanoparticle-based
optical coherence tomography (OCT) contrast agents. These nanoparticles are to be customized to label and
visualize RGCs with a high spatial resolution. Longitudinal tracking of the RGCs in vivo could uncover the fate
of the donor RGCs, increase our understanding of their behavior in the eye, and identify the factors that affect
the treatment efficacy of RGC transplants. In this application, the PI first proposes to use spectral OCT signals
of gold nanorods (GNRs) to maximize the contrast between donor RGCs and the retina in OCT imaging. Second,
the PI proposes to examine the correlation between the OCT signals of GNRs and the fate of donor RGCs with
both in vitro and in vivo assays. Third, the PI proposes to test the effects of cell number and injection location on
the transplant success rate, and to leverage advanced imaging to optimize RGC transplantation. Overall,
investigations in GNR-based OCT contrast agents for in vivo RGC tracking will gain us essential knowledge in
the efficacy of RGC transplant and advance RGC transplant for glaucoma treatment. These data will contribute
to the PI’s overall career goals, to investigate biomaterials that could track, support, and control therapeutic cells
in vivo and to use these biomaterials to provide novel methods to treat otherwise incurable diseases. During the
mentored phase of this award, the candidate will prioritize undertaking activities to increase understanding and
gain hands-on training in the areas of OCT and glaucoma in the Department of Ophthalmology at Stanford, with
support from the world-class Molecular Imaging Program and the outstanding Materials Science & Engineering
Community at Stanford, and with the benefits of a close-knit and focused department and the multi-
interdisciplinary collaborations and resources of the more comprehensive university.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10663516
- **Project number:** 1K99EY034168-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Fang Chen
- **Activity code:** K99 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $151,846
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-07-01 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10663516

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10663516, Nanoparticle-Based Tracking of Retinal Ganglion Cell Transplant (1K99EY034168-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10663516. Licensed CC0.

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