Collaboration Grant Program

Grant Program Title:

RReSTORe Consortium Collaboration Grants

Funding Opportunity Number:

RFA-2025-RCCG-002

Issuance Date:

February 15, 2025

Application Deadline:

May 1, 2025, at 5:00 PM EST

Purpose:

The Retinal Ganglion Cell Repopulation, Stem Cell Transplantation, and Optic Nerve Regeneration (RReSTORe) Consortium is pleased to announce the continuation of a grant funding program to support groundbreaking pilot research aimed at overcoming key challenges and limitations in the translational development of vision restoration therapies for glaucoma and other optic neuropathies. This funding opportunity seeks to promote collaborative efforts, foster professional engagement, and drive innovative approaches to retinal ganglion cell (RGC) regeneration in 3 key priority areas. These will drive or change our understanding of RGC stem cell biology and repopulation, with an ultimate goal of delivering vision restorative treatments for patients suffering from optic neuropathy. Proposals responsive to this RFA will seek to answer questions or address challenges proposed in the RReSTORe Consortium White Paper: Soucy et al., Retinal ganglion cell repopulation for vision restoration in optic neuropathy: a roadmap from the RReSTORe Consortium. Mol Neurodegen. 2023 Sept 21;18(1):64. PMID: 37735444.

The RReSTORe Consortium is grateful to the following vision research foundations for support of this funding mechanism: BrightFocus Foundation (BFF), The Gilbert Family Foundation (GFF), The Glaucoma Foundation (TGF), and the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF).

Priority Areas

Applications should focus on one or more of the following 3 areas:

• RGC Development and Differentiation: This key priority area addresses unanswered questions pertaining to stem cell biology and neurogenesis; transdifferentiation; RGC subtype identification and specification;RGC maturation; and modeling these issues in organoids and assembloids;
• RGC Survival and Functional Retinal Engraftment: This key priority area addresses topics related to neuroprotection; neurovascular coupling; interactions with macroglia and microglia; RGC migration, tiling, and patterning during development and in disease; RGC dendritogenesis and targeting within inner plexiform layer sublaminae; synaptogenesis in the inner plexiform layer; and assays assessing functional integration.
• Eye to Brain Connectivity: This key priority area addresses issues of axonal pathfinding, projection specificity, synaptogenesis in central brain targets, RGC axon regeneration, the process of myelination, and the implications of anterograde transsynaptic degeneration.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applications are open to all RReSTORe consortium members
• Principal Investigators must have a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent)
• Successful proposals will demonstrate meaningful collaboration among multiple investigators. Preference will be given to new collaborations and collaborations that span separate institutions, especially those including co-investigators/collaborators from outside the RReSTORe consortium.
• Preference will be given to proposals that involve meaningful collaboration from emerging vision scientists (trainees and junior faculty).
• Awardees are required to present the results of their research at the 2026 RReSTORe Conference, which will be held in Denver Colorado immediately preceding the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO).

Award Information:

• Total Funding Available: $150K
• Individual Award Amount: $50,000 for one year, non-renewable
• Number of Awards: Up to 3 applications will be funded (1 per key priority area), depending on the quality of applications.
• Special Emphasis: The Gilbert Family Foundation is funding proposals that specifically address key priority areas in relation to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-associated optic neuropathy. Proposals responsive to this special emphasis will include or replicate experiments using in vitro or in vivo models of NF1, including cells lines or animal models heterozygous for a mutation in the NF1 gene or null for NF1 in relevant cell lineages, and will be prioritized for funding. Note: several RReSTORe members are actively utilizing NF1 models, representing an important opportunity for potential collaboration.
• Indirect costs not allowed: According to the bylaws of the foundations providing funding for this RFA, indirect costs are not allowed on RReSTORe Collaboration Grant Awards.

Application Process:

Applicants must submit a complete application by email to: Ms. Marianne Kistner <mkistne1@jhmi.edu>. Please include in the subject line: “RReSTORe Collaboration Grant Proposal”. A full application includes:

1. Cover Page: Project title, applicant details, and institutional information, including contact information for the grants management officer at your institution.
2. Abstract: Summary of the project (max 300 words).
3. Research Proposal: Outline of goals, methods, expected outcomes, and significance (2 pages maximum). Proposals should provide a clear scientific plan with attention to rigor, appropriate controls, expected outcomes, and alternative approaches. Clear demonstration of meaningful collaboration is required.
4. Biosketches: NIH-style biosketches of PI and collaborating investigators.
5. Budget: Justification of cost expenditures over a 1-year funding period.

Review Criteria:

Applications will be reviewed by a scientific advisory board comprised of RReSTORe members, based on the following criteria:

Proposals are strongly encouraged to include a statement regarding the impact of the proposed research on the goals of the RReSTORe consortium, the importance of the pilot research in fostering new collaborations within the RReSTORe consortium, and a plan for continuation of this work after the pilot phase.

• Impact: This statement should clearly state the impact of the proposal on the goals of the RReSTORe consortium and to the field of vision restoration for optic neuropathies, as detailed in the RReSTORe White Paper publication referenced above.
• Innovation and Collaboration: Novelty and originality of the research approach is highly encouraged, with special attention to grants initiating new collaborations among RReSTORe members and those proposals that actively involve emerging vision scientists.
• Significance: Potential impact on the field of vision restoration
• Feasibility: The strength of the research plan and the qualifications of the team will be key evaluation criteria. Proposals that demonstrate scientific rigor, include appropriate controls and thoughtfully consider alternative approaches to address potential unexpected outcomes will receive special attention.

Important Dates:

• Application Open Date: February 15, 2025
• Application Deadline: May 1, 2025
• Award Notification: June 1, 2025
• Project Start Date: July 1, 2025

Contact Information:

RReSTORe Grants Committee: Ahmara Ross, MD, PhD (Chair); Alex Kolodkin, PhD; Pete Williams, PhD; Juliette Wohlschlegel, PhD; Thomas Johnson, MD, PhD

For questions or additional information, please contact:
Thomas V Johnson, MD, PhD                        or                     Ahmara Ross, MD, PhD        
johnson@jhmi.edu                                                                  Ahmara.Ross@pennmedicine.upenn.edu