SUNY College of Optometry has been awarded $1.5 million to establish the SUNY Eye Biobank, a shared research resource designed to advance understanding of age-related neurological and visual disorders.
The funding, awarded through the first phase of the SUNY Brain Institute, will support the creation of what SUNY Optometry describes as the first resource of its kind in the US. The biobank will bring together clinical data, ocular imaging, and biological information to investigate links between vision, aging, and neurological disease.
“This award recognizes SUNY Optometry’s distinctive role in advancing vision science and its connection to broader questions of brain health, aging, and disease,” said President of SUNY College of Optometry, Dr. David Troilo. “The SUNY Eye Biobank will allow us to build on the College’s deep expertise in retinal imaging, clinical care, and vision research to support discoveries that could improve how we understand age-related neurological and visual disorders.”
Researchers hope the resource will capitalize on the eye’s potential as a window into broader neurological and systemic health. The retina and other ocular structures offer a noninvasive view of neural tissue, blood vessels, and other biological systems, creating opportunities to study biomarkers associated with both visual and neurological disorders.
“The eye offers a unique window into the brain and the body,” said Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Biological and Vision Sciences at SUNY Optometry, who will lead the initiative. “By establishing the SUNY Eye Biobank, we can create a shared resource that brings together clinical data, imaging, and biological information to help researchers investigate the links between vision, aging, and neurological disease.”
SUNY Optometry will operate as a node within the SUNY Brain Institute’s first module, which focuses on age-related brain disorders. The wider multi-campus network is intended to strengthen neuroscience collaboration and research infrastructure across the State University of New York system, with an initial focus on conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, neuroinflammation, and cognitive decline.
The award also expands SUNY Optometry’s work in oculomics, an emerging field that uses ocular biomarkers, imaging, molecular data, and computational analysis to investigate wider health conditions. Earlier in 2026, the college received $434,522 through the SUNY Empire Innovation Program to expand its oculomics research and recruit expertise in AI, deep learning, and predictive analytics.
Source: SUNY College of Optometry.
