# Cellular-level Vascular Oculomics (CVO) for monitoring systemic vascular health

> **NIH NIH OT2** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $1,597,595

## Abstract

Cellular-level Vascular Oculomics (CVO) for Monitoring Systemic Vascular Health .
Planned activities and achievable goals:
Year 1: (1.) Hardware design and implementation (Dubra/Burns) will be completed in the first 6 months to
yield (2.) four fully functional devices in 4 clinical sites (Stanford, Indiana, Northwestern, Mount Sinai).
Stanford will develop software to (3.) achieve real time image distortion correction. All sites will share
existing datasets with Dr. Garyfallidis to initialize the (4.) training of deep learning AI-based software for real
time biomarker annotation. (5.) At the end of this year, the entire team will meet with the advisory committee
to present progress and get scientific feedback on progress and proposed biomarkers.
Year 2: (1.) Stanford will develop and share image stabilization software and share with Indiana for (2.)
integration in its image acquisition software. Garyfallidis will share the first version of the AI annotation
algorithm with Burns and Dubra for integration into image acquisition software. At the end of this year, all
sites will have the ability to image healthy and disease subjects using similar devices and software, allowing
(2.) dataset comparisons and (3.) generation of normative CVO data. (4.) At the end of this year, the entire
team will meet with the advisory committee to discuss progress, provide feedback, and identify areas for
improvement and overall direction.
Year 3: (1.) All sites will recruit subjects with systemic disease and (2.) share feedback to (3.) optimize AI
software, (4.) software interface, and selection of (5.) biomarkers of interest. In a final group meeting with the
advisory committee, the team will establish (6.) publication plan and (7.) software sharing platform.
Final products: (1.) Novel set of ophthalmoscopes with Integrated hardware and software capable of real
time segmentation and quantification of microscopic vascular structure and flow biomarkers, that is, the CVO
instrument, and (2.) modular open-source software for diverse applications to imaging of retinal biomarkers,
based on CVO, but adaptable to color photographs, OCT Angiography, Doppler OCT or other devices.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11096301
- **Project number:** 1OT2OD038128-01
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen A Burns
- **Activity code:** OT2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,597,595
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-15 → 2026-09-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11096301

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11096301, Cellular-level Vascular Oculomics (CVO) for monitoring systemic vascular health (1OT2OD038128-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11096301. Licensed CC0.

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