Jan. 16, 2024 — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the Transplantation of Human Eye Allografts (THEA) program, an effort by the HHS’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to transplant whole human eyes to restore vision for the blind and visually impaired.
While 70,000 people in the U.S. donate their eyes after death each year, only parts of the eye—most commonly the front surface or cornea—can be transplanted, leaving no transplant options for millions of people blinded by conditions of their retina and optic nerve. THEA is designed to address this issue by transplanting the whole donor eye and reconnecting the nerves, muscles, and blood vessels to the brain.
“For centuries, doctors have theorized eye transplantation to repair vision without success. However, very recent discoveries in vision science and neuroscience may now help solve the hurdles of reattaching the donor eye’s optic nerve to the recipient,” says ARPA-H THEA program manager Calvin Roberts, M.D., president and CEO of Lighthouse Guild. “With THEA, we aim to revolutionize the reconnection of nerves to the brain…with the ambition to offer an alternative to lifelong blindness.”
THEA will leverage emerging microsurgical techniques along with genetic and cell-based therapies to preserve or regrow nerves from the eye to the brain. According to THEA, “These regenerative solutions could help prevent degenerative blindness and are a critical step towards successful whole eye transplantation to restore vision.” Objectives of the program include testing and evaluating the best therapies to repair damaged nerves, maintain critical structures in the eye, and prevent postoperative inflammation or rejections.
“While it has been nearly 60 years since the first successful human heart transplant, we have not been able to use similar approaches to restore a person’s sight,” says ARPA-H director Renee Wegrzyn, Ph.D. “Through THEA, we’re seeking to develop the next breakthroughs in transplantation, preservation, and neuroscience to address the challenge: ‘What if we could restore vision to those who are blind?’”
THEA seeks proposals focused on three technical areas: retrieval of donor eyes and maintenance of the health of donor eyes until transplantation; optic nerve repair and regeneration; and surgical procedures, postoperative care, and functional assessment. More information is available here.