# Cells and genes that govern inflammation in the subretinal space

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2024 · $234,000

## Abstract

Abstract
 Injuries or diseases that kill retinal neurons or photoreceptors block vision at it source. The
inability to repair the retina is a hallmark of the human nervous system; neurons that die are not
replaced and functions that are lost are not recovered. This bleak outcome is a driving force for
research on neural stem cells and the field of regeneration biology. The objective of this project
is to undertake novel exploratory studies that will investigate new concepts and characterize
newly-identified cell types that are hypothesized to play key roles during the death and
regeneration of photoreceptors in the vertebrate retina. This work will extend projects in our lab
toward new directions.
 This program of research utilizes the zebrafish retina, the only vertebrate CNS tissue in which
endogenous cells can regenerate a single neuronal type, which integrates into existing synaptic
circuits, or regenerate all cell types that can completely restore the original tissue.
 Two Specific Aims are proposed, each designed to reveal important insights into the cellular
and molecular mechanisms that govern inflammation in subretinal space during photoreceptor
death and regeneration. Specific Aim 1 will explore the role the RPE plays in establishing the
inflammatory mileau within the sub-retinal space during the selective death of cone
photoreceptors. Specific Aim 2 will establish the transcriptomic signature of a newly-identified
population of subretinal microglia, which, like the RPE, have an exclusive relationship to
photoreceptors. Determining how the inflammatory response governs photoreceptor
regeneration will advance our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that govern retinal stem
and progenitor cells and may guide cell-based therapeis for treating retinal injuries and disease
in humans.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10837715
- **Project number:** 5R21EY034182-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Peter F Hitchcock
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $234,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-01 → 2025-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10837715

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10837715, Cells and genes that govern inflammation in the subretinal space (5R21EY034182-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10837715. Licensed CC0.

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