1. Developing new treatments to help repair damage caused by glaucoma
For the development of new treatments, we are currently exploring the potential of replacing the damaged cells in the eye in glaucoma, which are the retinal ganglion cells. Two researchers in our consortium are developing lab models that mimic advanced glaucoma to find ways to replace these damaged cells. They’re using mini versions of the human retina, called retinal organoids, to test different techniques. Once a method looks promising in the lab, we’ll test it further in animal models.
For new retinal ganglion cells to function properly, they need to send long nerve fibers (called axons) from the eye to the brain. To make this possible, two consortium researchers are studying how these axons grow naturally and how different molecules affect their growth. By understanding this process, we hope to guide the new cells’ axons to connect correctly with the brain, an important step toward restoring vision.
2. Exploring How the Eye’s Environment Affects Glaucoma
To study how the overall health of the eye plays a role in the progression of glaucoma, one consortium researcher uses advanced genetic tools to understand better the biological systems that keep the eye healthy and help protect retinal ganglion cells. Others focus on how different types of cells in the eye, such as support cells, immune cells, and cells involved in inflammation, either help protect retinal ganglion cells or contribute to their death. They’re using human stem cells to search for factors that could help shield these important cells from damage. Another key area of our research looks at the eye’s blood supply. Reduced oxygen delivery can worsen glaucoma, so we are studying how this happens and whether improving blood flow in the eye could slow down or prevent vision loss.
3. Improving Vision Tests and Imaging in Advanced Glaucoma
Standard clinical vision tests often struggle in people with advanced glaucoma, making it hard to accurately measure how much vision remains and how the disease is progressing. Two researchers in our consortium are working on new, more precise tests to measure what patients can still see, especially their ability to detect movement and objects in their remaining visual field.
We also use highly detailed imaging techniques to study how glaucoma affects the eye (one researcher) and the brain (three researchers). This includes high-resolution eye scans with artificial intelligence, and using advanced brain imaging techniques to learn how damage in the eye affects the connections to the visual brain and how the brain might functionally adapt to this loss over time.
