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 hosts an AGI town hall forum at ARVO annual meeting, Sunday, May 7. Details.
Early Clinical Development of Cell Replacement Therapy. Report charts path to new treatments for retinal diseases. (April 2017)
NEI Audacious Goals Initiative report outlines strategies to replace or reprogram neurons in the retina. (March 27, 2017)
AGI-related: NIH-funded study helps explain how zebrafish recover from blinding injuries. (March 9, 2017)
AGI Projects
Imaging Projects: Five bold projects will develop new technology to noninvasively image cells of the eye in unprecedented detail.
Discovery-based Projects: Six NEI Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI) projects aim to identify biological factors that affect neural regeneration in the retina.
AGI Events and Reports
Helping the retina regenerate:NEI Audacious Goals Initiative report outlines strategies to replace or reprogram neurons in the retina. 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)