# Retinal Ischemia Treatment by Oxygen Nanobubbles

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2023 · $443,408

## Abstract

Abstract
The retinal tissue is highly susceptible to inadequate oxygenation due to its high metabolic
activity. Indeed, it is commonly accepted that retinal hypoxia plays a central role in the events
leading to neuronal cell damage and death due to ischemia and implicated in visual impairments
due to retinal vascular occlusions and diabetic retinopathy. Previous studies have investigated
the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for retinal ischemia. However, the effectiveness of this
treatment to supply adequate oxygen to the inner retina is limited and a standard of care does
not exist. We address an unmet need for the development of therapeutic interventions to
oxygenate the retinal tissue and prevent vision loss from an ischemic insult. We propose the
concept of oxygenation of the inner retina with oxygen nanobubbles (ONBs) that can release
oxygen over an extended period of time as a novel treatment modality for retinal ischemia. Our
aims are to: develop a consistent formulation for the synthesis of ONBs and evaluate its
physical and biochemical properties; identify the optimum time for administration of ONBs
treatment to improve ischemia-induced impairments of retinal oxygen metrics and visual
function; and determine the efficacy of ONBs treatment based on a series of comprehensive
outcomes, namely, retinal oxygen metrics, visual function, retinal thickness, and biochemical
pathways. We expect our findings will serve as strong preliminary evidence of an innovative
therapeutic intervention to mitigate ischemic insult, preserve the retinal tissue from injury, and
prevent vision loss.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10723843
- **Project number:** 1R21EY035371-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Joseph MK Irudayaraj
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $443,408
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2023-09-30 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10723843

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10723843, Retinal Ischemia Treatment by Oxygen Nanobubbles (1R21EY035371-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10723843. Licensed CC0.

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