# Localization, safety, and efficacy of optic nerve injections

> **NIH NIH K08** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $172,584

## Abstract

APPLICATION SUMMARY
This is a K08 Mentored Clinician Scientist Research Career Development Award application for Bryce Chiang, MD PhD.
Upon completion of ophthalmology residency, Dr. Chiang will be hired as an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the
Byers Eye Institute at Stanford. The purpose of this application is to provide Dr. Chiang with the needed training, mentorship,
and support to become an investigator with expertise in ocular drug delivery, specifically to the optic nerve head. A clinical
glaucoma fellowship will be completed during the 25% clinical time through the timeline of the K08 award. Dr. Chiang has
assembled a mentorship team consisting of Dr. Jeffrey Goldberg, an expert on optic nerve neuro-protection and neuro-
regeneration; and Dr. Mark Prausntiz, an expert in ocular drug delivery. In addition, he has identified key collaborators
including Dr. Uday Kompella, an expert in ocular drug delivery; Dr. Joyce Liao, an expert in optic nerve diseases and animal
models; Dr. Jonathan Lin, an ocular pathologist; Dr. Vinit Mahajan, a vitreoretinal surgeon.
Optic neuropathy is a class of devastating vision threatening diseases that affect the optic nerve. There are no methods to
selectively deliver therapeutics to the optic nerve head, and targeted delivery could improve outcomes due to physiologic
spatiotemporal cues and/or selective targeting of injured tissue. The proposed technique is to access the optic nerve head by
a SupraChoroidal-to-Optic-NErve (SCONE) injection. The central hypothesis is that the SCONE injection technique can
be used to selectively target optic nerve head, and that therapies delivered with this method will be more efficacious
compared with intravitreal or intraorbital optic nerve injections. The hypothesis of Aim 1 is that SCONE injection can be
further optimized, and the technique will not impact the optic nerve head tissue functionally or structurally. The hypothesis
of Aim 2 is that SCONE injection will be more localized to optic nerve head than intravitreal or intraorbital optic nerve
injections. The hypothesis of Aim 3 is that Ciliary NeuroTrophic Factor (CNTF) delivered to the optic nerve head–either as
free protein, or in a sustained release polymer, or transducing local cells with AAV–will bring greater neuroprotection and
regeneration than intravitreal or intraorbital injections after optic nerve injury. The research may lead to improved delivery
techniques to the optic nerve head, and will form the basis of an R01 application before the end of the K award.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11159895
- **Project number:** 7K08EY033407-03
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Bryce Chiang
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $172,584
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11159895

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11159895, Localization, safety, and efficacy of optic nerve injections (7K08EY033407-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11159895. Licensed CC0.

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