# Downstream Actions of Biophysical Mechanisms in the Visual System-Diversity Supplement

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2024 · $113,280

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This request for supplemental funding under PA-23-189 is to support the postbaccalaureate research of Pearl
Miller, who graduated from Northeastern University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular
Biology. Ms. Miller recently joined Dr. Michael Do’s laboratory at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard
Medical School. The parent grant (R01 EY034089) for this proposed supplement concerns how the processing
of sensory information emerges from actions at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels. The experiments
center on intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) of the mouse and their drive of pupillary
constriction. IpRGCs produce their own light responses using a molecule called melanopsin, receive input from
circuits that are driven by rod and cone photoreceptors, and innervate the olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN; a
brain region that drives pupil constriction). How the properties of ipRGCs and their inputs influence the OPN
and pupil is unknown. Ms. Miller will address this open question in behaving mice, by simultaneously
measuring pupillary constriction and the activity of ipRGC presynaptic terminals within the OPN. She will ask
how phototransduction in ipRGCs (Aim 1) and rods (Aim 2) shape terminal activity and pupil constriction. The
proposed experiments will yield basic knowledge of photoreceptive mechanisms and pupillary control. In
addition to pursuing this research, Ms. Miller will be immersed in a broad and deep training environment that
provides for the cultivation of scientific and career skills, and that also offers assistance in applying to graduate
programs. These experiences will provide a strong foundation for Ms. Miller to pursue her goal of becoming a
physician, researcher, and teacher. She meets NIH’s criteria for PA-23-189 and fulfills its interest in diversity as
articulated in NOT-OD-20-031.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11086391
- **Project number:** 3R01EY034089-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael Tri Hoang Do
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $113,280
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11086391

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11086391, Downstream Actions of Biophysical Mechanisms in the Visual System-Diversity Supplement (3R01EY034089-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11086391. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*