National Glaucoma Research Grantee Receives $2.2 Million Follow-On Award Aimed at Curing Blindness

Restoring vision with eye transplants is a complicated endeavor that has yet to be achieved because it requires severing and then regrowing connections between the eye and the brain. Now, a $46 million multi-institutional award aimed at curing blindness is helping fund research that could enable human eye transplants.¹

One award beneficiary is a team led by National Glaucoma Research grantee Jason Meyer, PhD, a professor of medical and molecular genetics at Indiana University. As part of the project, funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Dr. Meyer received $2.2 million in follow-on funding to further his research on stimulating the regrowth of nerves that connect the eye with the brain.

“National Glaucoma Research has been a true catalyst for my scientific career,” he said. “Early investments by BrightFocus did more than launch new projects, they helped grow my lab and expand our capacity to explore high-risk, high-reward ideas, [including our] ARPA-H–funded studies aimed at whole eye transplantation.”

Dr. Meyer’s team is turning adult cells from people with glaucoma into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which can be guided to develop into any cell type of the body, including eye cells involved in diseases like glaucoma. His team plans to set up the iPS cells in models of the optic nerve and then test methods for reconnecting it to the retinal and brain regions of those models.

National Glaucoma Research’s early investment in scientific research like Dr. Meyer’s lays the foundation for breakthroughs—often providing the critical data and momentum researchers need to secure larger, long-term funding. The ARPA-H award represents a follow-on investment more than four times the amount Dr. Meyer initially received from BrightFocus. Without that early spark, many promising innovations might never leave the lab.

“The first grant I received from BrightFocus was not only my entry into glaucoma research, but also the very first research grant I ever obtained,” he said. “That early investment helped me build new stem cell models of glaucoma, generate the data that led to my first NIH R01, and expand our capacity to pursue high-risk, high-reward ideas—work that now spans from eye regeneration to modeling Alzheimer’s disease.”

His work at the intersection of the eye and brain now extends into Alzheimer’s disease, where he is co-leading a new NIH-funded center at Indiana University to develop stem-cell-based brain models.² This research complements his glaucoma studies, reflecting a broader vision of how regenerative medicine may one day restore connections between the brain and the eyes, and even open doors to treatments for devastating neurodegenerative diseases.

As a mentor, Dr. Meyer is also helping cultivate the next generation of scientists. “Just as BrightFocus supported the early stages of my own research career, it continues to play a pivotal role in launching the next generation of scientists,” he said, pointing to members of his lab who have since received BrightFocus fellowships. “Their success is a testament to BrightFocus’ commitment to fostering emerging talent and building a strong pipeline of future leaders in glaucoma research.”

From early detection to potential cures, National Glaucoma Research-funded scientists are pushing boundaries thanks to the generous support of people like you. Join the movement to end this devastating disease.