NEI Audacious Goals Initiative…restoring vision through regeneration of the retina
The Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI) is an effort by the National Eye Institute to push the boundaries of vision science. By facilitating cross-disciplinary research, the AGI is tackling the most devastating and difficult-to-treat eye diseases.
News
NEI AGI funds six projects to identify biological factors that influence neural regeneration Sept. 1, 2016.
AGI Projects
Imaging Projects: Five bold projects will develop new technology to noninvasively image cells of the eye in unprecedented detail.
Omics Projects: Six NEI Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI) projects aim to identify biological factors that affect neural regeneration in the retina.
AGI Events and Reports
Dr. Leonard Levin summarized discussions from the AGI Town Hall on Regenerative Medicine Targets: Ocular Diseases and Disease States at the National Advisory Eye Council meeting, June 16, 2016. The Town Hall was held at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting in Seattle, May 1, 2016. Read more.
About the Initiative
The NEI AGI is catalyzing research that will enable the restoration of vision through regeneration of the retina. The central goal is to replace cells of the retina that have been damaged by disease or injury and to restore their connections to the visual centers of the brain. Through strategic research funding, the NEI is enlisting dynamic scientists and teams who are developing the necessary knowledge and technology to make the goal a reality. Read more about the AGI.
About the Goal
The NEI audacious goal is to regenerate neurons and neural connections in the eye and visual system. The NEI AGI is targeting the photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells. Photoreceptors—often called rods and cones—are cells in the retina that when stimulated by light generate signals the brain perceives as images. The retinal ganglion cells carry the signals from the photoreceptors to the brain. Read more about the audacious goal.
Funding Opportunities
NEI Audacious Goal Initiative: Discovery-based Science to Identify Factors Influencing Neural Regeneration in the Visual System (U01); RFA-EY-15-002. Closed.
Program Director: Lisa Neuhold, Ph.D. (lneuhold@mail.nih.gov)