Update on the Status and Impact of the National Eye Institute Audacious Goals Initiative for Regenerative Medicine.

Abstract

Purpose: This update will highlight a few of the projects funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) Audacious Goals Initiative for Regenerative Medicine (AGI) and show their potential to advance regenerative medicine strategies and increase our understanding of the pathobiology of retinal disease. Methods: We summarize the recent updates from a talk given to the scientific community about the progress of various AGI-funded projects. Results: NEI is catalyzing the translation of ocular stem cell therapies with its AGI program. Since 2015, NEI has organized 3 consortia to catalyze stem cell-based therapies. The first focuses on developing functional imaging technologies that can enable noninvasive in vivo monitoring of activity of individual retinal neurons. The second consortium is identifying novel neural regeneration factors in the visual system. The third, funded in September of 2018, aims to generate translation-enabling models that mimic human eye disease and will evaluate the survival and integration of regenerated neurons in the visual system. Conclusions: To date, 3 AGI consortia have catalyzed research in areas that will enable clinical trials for novel regenerative medicine approaches. With the first of the 3 consortia entering the final year of funding, some of these AGI-funded projects stand ready for deployment in the scientific and medical communities.