# Large-Scale Patterned Electrical Stimulation for Design of Retinal  Prostheses

> **NIH NIH R01** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $383,200

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The goal of our work is to advance the development of high-resolution epiretinal prosthetic
devices for treating incurable blindness from retinal degeneration. We approach this by
developing novel techniques for high-resolution, multi-electrode stimulation of retinal ganglion
cells in the isolated retina, as a laboratory platform for developing the necessary approaches for
restoring vision. The major goals of this project are to (1) develop methods to detect and avoid
the unintended activation of axon bundles that corrupts the artificial image, (2) develop methods
to efficiently stimulate specific cells and cell types while avoiding stimulation of other cells, and
(3) develop spatiotemporally patterned stimulation and high-density recording and stimulation
for use in the central retina, which is necessary for high-resolution vision. Tackling these aims is
anticipated to support the development of a device that can emulate the neural code of the
retina, cell-by-cell and spike-by-spike, over a substantial area. The unique technical approach
employed involves large-scale, high-resolution electrical recording and stimulation, combined
with novel analysis, imaging, and computational approaches to optimize the artificial visual
signal. Our vision is that this work will aid the design of the next generation of retinal prosthetic
devices to support advanced visual functions, such as object recognition and motion sensing, in
human patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9900010
- **Project number:** 5R01EY021271-10
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** EDUARDO CHICHILNISKY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $383,200
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9900010

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9900010, Large-Scale Patterned Electrical Stimulation for Design of Retinal  Prostheses (5R01EY021271-10). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9900010. Licensed CC0.

---

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