Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States and accounts for 15% of blindness worldwide. The Vision Research Plan for the National Eye Institute establishes identifying the biological mechanisms responsible for glaucoma as a national priority. Recent research indicates that many forms of glaucoma have a genetic component. Development of a non-invasive, accurate, and reliable method to measure IOP in rodents will greatly facilitate the identification of genes involved in IOP regulation and the susceptibility of the retina and the optic nerve to glaucomatous damage. A non-invasive technique for measuring IOP in mice will enable repeated measurements on a single eye and be more useful for investigating the effect of age, drugs, and other factors on IOP over time. Luna Innovations, along with Dr. Simon John at the Jackson Laboratory, Dr. John Morrison at the Casey Eye Institute, and Dr. Jay McLaren at the Mayo Clinic, is developing a system for non-invasive intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement with contact area feedback in rodents. During the Phase I program, the Luna Innovations team demonstrated the ability of a prototype device to measure IOP and confirm applanated area in testing with rats. The focus of this resubmitted Phase II proposal is to optimize system performance and completely calibrate and validate performance in rodent studies.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR) - Phase II (R44)
Project #
3R44EY013902-03S1
Application #
7683611
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BDCN-F (10))
Program Officer
Wujek, Jerome R
Project Start
2002-05-10
Project End
2009-02-28
Budget Start
2006-03-01
Budget End
2009-02-28
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$74,981
Indirect Cost
Name
Luna Innovations, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
627132913
City
Roanoke
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
24016
Cottler, Patrick S; Karpen, Whitney R; Morrow, Duane A et al. (2009) Performance characteristics of a new generation pressure microsensor for physiologic applications. Ann Biomed Eng 37:1638-45