On Dec. 2, 2024, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus announced it will receive up to $46 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Transplantation of Human Eye Allografts (THEA) program to advance pioneering research aimed at curing total blindness through human eye transplantation.

The award will support the work of the Total Human Eye-allotransplantation Innovation Advancement (THEIA) project team led by CU. ARPA-H is a federal agency established to advance high-potential, high-impact biomedical and health research that cannot be readily accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity. The CU Anschutz team will begin with animal models to forward optic nerve regenerative strategies, immunosuppression, and post-operative care, with the goal of advancing to human trial studies.

This project will be in collaboration with several partners. Johns Hopkins University will use a special type of molecule called a dendrimer to deliver genetic instructions to the retina and the optic nerve to help fix or modify how certain functions are working to improve vision. The University of Wisconsin, Indiana University, and the National Eye Institute will work together to develop a bioengineered “nerve bridge” to connect the donor’s optic nerve with the recipient. Researchers at the University of Southern California will work to create a system that uses electrical signals to support the successful addition of nerve cells into an existing part of the eye, improving function and helping with vision. The Foundation Fighting Blindness will manage reporting for this complex effort.