This is a multi-PI R01 with an investigator in ophthalmology and in radiation oncology and engineering to study mice and patients after radiation therapy. One big issue after radiation therapy is that capillaries and other very small blood vessels get damaged and disappear over time. 

In this grant, they will use some novel cool techniques to image the microvessels and measure the blood flow in the eye. They want to know if they can detect abnormalities in blood flow before the disappearance of the capillaries. In the other part of the study, they will be doing the same imaging in mice and are testing a few genes and potential treatments. 

Another reason why this research is so critical is because the loss of these small blood vessels leads to vision loss (and blindness in some cases) and they are trying to prevent vision loss by understanding why the blood vessels disappear and how they can prevent it.

Congrats Dr. Grumbach!

https://twitter.com/GrumbachLab/status/1260408841075916800?s=20