Register today for the next quarterly RMIP Research Spotlight featuring Dr. Jeffrey Stern of the Neural Stem Cell Institute on Wednesday, September 24th at 1:00-2:00 PM ET. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of blindness in the aging population characterized by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy and loss of retinal function. We recently discovered a novel adult retinal pigment epithelial stem cell, the RPESC, in the human RPE layer that self-renews and produces highly pure populations of RPE progeny (RPESC-RPE). We found that subretinal transplantation of adult RPESC-derived RPE at an intermediate stage of differentiation increases vision rescue in a rat model, leading to an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of subretinal transplantation of human RPESC-derived cells in patients with advanced AMD. Early clinical trial outcomes show good safety and tolerability.
We hope that you will be able to join us for this Spotlight.
NHLBI Regenerative Medicine Summit On September 14th - 15th, NHLBI will be hosting the Regenerative Medicine Symposium that aims to address the questions regarding how we will translate the progress made in the last decade into therapeutics and diagnostics for patients in the next decade, focusing primarily on applications in heart, lung, and blood conditions.
We recommend registering for virtual attendance, which remains available through September 2nd.
Catalog of Cell Type Molecular Markers
The Regenerative Medicine Innovation Program (RMIP) has generated extensive single cell transcriptomic data, a valuable resource for identifying cell types within complex samples. This process depends on reliable molecular markers and gene signatures to distinguish subtypes.
We invite consortia members to participate in creating a community-generated catalog of these markers that can be used to identify cell types. A page has been created on the BDC community forum for investigators to share markers you use to identify specific cell types, and join discussions to generate gene sets and develop confidence metrics for cell type identification. By working together, we can establish a trusted, widely used reference to advance regenerative medicine research.
Funding Opportunities
There are currently two active RMIP funding announcements. These opportunities are specifically for renewal applications from previously funded RMIP projects and are intended to support the continued development of their proposed adult stem cell therapeutics.
Applications are due October 22, 2025. We encourage you to consider applying for these funding opportunities and hope you will take advantage of the support available.
Publications
Congratulations to the following study teams for their recent publications or preprints:
M. Kong, S.H. Tsang, et al., Divergent Manifestations of Biallelic Versus Monoallelic Variants of RP1-, BEST1-, and PROM1-Associated Retinal Disorders. Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jul 10;26(14):6615. doi: 10.3390/ijms26146615
C.D. Porada, A. Atala, and G. Almeida-Porada. Hemophilia A: An Ideal Disease for Prenatal Therapy. Prenat Diagn. 2025 Jun 10:10.1002/pd.6833. doi: 10.1002/pd.6833
If you have recently submitted or published a manuscript related, please submit the citation to jstratford@rti.org.
Meet with us
BDC now has office hours each Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET to assist investigators with aggregating and harmonizing RMIP study data on the ecosystem.
We continue to coordinate one-on-one meetings with study teams to discuss a data linkage strategy. This strategy will ensure that the cell characterization data is prepared and formatted appropriately for seamless sharing with the study team. The goal is to facilitate efficient data transfer and analysis.
Mike Enger
August 2025 RMIP Updates
RMIP Research Spotlight
Register today for the next quarterly RMIP Research Spotlight featuring Dr. Jeffrey Stern of the Neural Stem Cell Institute on Wednesday, September 24th at 1:00-2:00 PM ET. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of blindness in the aging population characterized by retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy and loss of retinal function. We recently discovered a novel adult retinal pigment epithelial stem cell, the RPESC, in the human RPE layer that self-renews and produces highly pure populations of RPE progeny (RPESC-RPE). We found that subretinal transplantation of adult RPESC-derived RPE at an intermediate stage of differentiation increases vision rescue in a rat model, leading to an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of subretinal transplantation of human RPESC-derived cells in patients with advanced AMD. Early clinical trial outcomes show good safety and tolerability.
We hope that you will be able to join us for this Spotlight.
NHLBI Regenerative Medicine Summit
On September 14th - 15th, NHLBI will be hosting the Regenerative Medicine Symposium that aims to address the questions regarding how we will translate the progress made in the last decade into therapeutics and diagnostics for patients in the next decade, focusing primarily on applications in heart, lung, and blood conditions.
We recommend registering for virtual attendance, which remains available through September 2nd.
Catalog of Cell Type Molecular Markers
The Regenerative Medicine Innovation Program (RMIP) has generated extensive single cell transcriptomic data, a valuable resource for identifying cell types within complex samples. This process depends on reliable molecular markers and gene signatures to distinguish subtypes.
We invite consortia members to participate in creating a community-generated catalog of these markers that can be used to identify cell types. A page has been created on the BDC community forum for investigators to share markers you use to identify specific cell types, and join discussions to generate gene sets and develop confidence metrics for cell type identification. By working together, we can establish a trusted, widely used reference to advance regenerative medicine research.
Funding Opportunities
There are currently two active RMIP funding announcements. These opportunities are specifically for renewal applications from previously funded RMIP projects and are intended to support the continued development of their proposed adult stem cell therapeutics.
RFA-AR-25-013 (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
RFA-AR-25-014 (UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
Applications are due October 22, 2025. We encourage you to consider applying for these funding opportunities and hope you will take advantage of the support available.
Publications
Congratulations to the following study teams for their recent publications or preprints:
M. Kong, S.H. Tsang, et al., Divergent Manifestations of Biallelic Versus Monoallelic Variants of RP1-, BEST1-, and PROM1-Associated Retinal Disorders. Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Jul 10;26(14):6615. doi: 10.3390/ijms26146615
C.D. Porada, A. Atala, and G. Almeida-Porada. Hemophilia A: An Ideal Disease for Prenatal Therapy. Prenat Diagn. 2025 Jun 10:10.1002/pd.6833. doi: 10.1002/pd.6833
If you have recently submitted or published a manuscript related, please submit the citation to jstratford@rti.org.
Meet with us
BDC now has office hours each Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 PM ET to assist investigators with aggregating and harmonizing RMIP study data on the ecosystem.
We continue to coordinate one-on-one meetings with study teams to discuss a data linkage strategy. This strategy will ensure that the cell characterization data is prepared and formatted appropriately for seamless sharing with the study team. The goal is to facilitate efficient data transfer and analysis.
Resources, Materials and Support
Slides and Video from RMIP Orientation
FAQs from the Orientation Sessions
BDC Resource Hub
Join the Community for full interaction with our support services
RMIP BDC Office Hours Wednesday 2:00-3:00PM ET
Velsera Seven Bridges Office Hours at on Tuesdays at 10:00-11:00 AM ET and Thursdays at 2:00-3:00 PM ET
BDC Powered by Seven Bridges Onboarding videos*
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Submit a question or raise a ticket with our Help Desk
Navigating BDC YouTube Channel
If you use BDC in your work, don’t forget to cite us.
BDC Documentation or the Seven Bridges Knowledge Center