Award
National Eye Institute 5R01EY033499-03
Targeting Surfactant Protein A to Prevent Retinopathy of Prematurity
Recipient
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Award Amount
$471,607.00
Ceiling
$471,607.00
Awarded
May 04, 2026
Identifier
5R01EY033499-03
This award funds research to study the role of Surfactant Protein A in retinopathy of prematurity and to explore therapeutic targeting of SP-A in a rodent model.
Description
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a potentially blinding vaso-proliferative disease frequently seen in prematurely born infants with lifelong consequences. Surfactant Protein A (SP-A) is an immunomodulatory protein found to be deficient in prematurely born infants, associated with lung disease of prematurity and pulmonary vascular growth factors. SP-A is expressed in the Müller retina and plays a role in neovascular disease with a pro-angiogenic phenotype. This project aims to characterize the SP-A/chaperone/VEGF axis, confirm Myo18A as the SP-A receptor, and study the impact of SP-A on endothelial cell cytoskeleton and function. It will also test the therapeutic potential of targeting SP-A in a rodent model of ROP.