Project description
Sleep timing preference and myopia
Circadian rhythms constitute the changes an organism experiences over a 24-hour cycle and influence important functions in the human body including sleeping patterns and hormone release. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CHRONOPIA project aims to investigate the role of circadian rhythms in eye development. Evidence from the Estonian biobank suggests an association of circadian rhythms and myopia or short-sightedness, an eye disease where objects in the distance appear blurry. Given its rising prevalence across the world, researchers aim to investigate how circadian rhythms influence the eye’s ability to focus. Using mouse models and genome-wide studies, the project will identify targets for innovative preventive and therapeutic strategies for myopia.
Objective
Myopia or short-sightedness is a refractive error caused by excessive eyeball elongation, resulting in distant objects appearing blurry. Its global prevalence is increasing rapidly and is estimated to affect half of the global population by 2050. Several recent studies have suggested a link between circadian rhythms and eye development. An analysis at the Estonian Biobank revealed a robust association between myopia and an individuals sleep timing preference, or chronotype. Individuals with late chronotype were more likely to have myopia, while early chronotype was associated with hyperopia. This project, CHRONOPIA, aims to uncover the underlying mechanisms and directionality of this relationship. It seeks to understand how circadian rhythms influence eye growth and how refractive errors, in turn, impact circadian rhythms. The effect of circadian rhythms on refractive development will be studied in mice by employing various circadian biology paradigms with simultaneous monitoring of refractive development. The impact of refractive errors on circadian rhythms will be evaluated using the mouse model of lens-induced myopia and hyperopia, circadian phenotyping techniques, retinal transcriptomics, and ex vivo assessment of retinal circadian rhythms. Finally, through genome-wide gene-based association studies, this project will analyse the molecular similarities between the mouse model of myopia and human myopia. This provides an opportunity to discover novel genes and pathways associated with human myopia and to determine how well the mouse model of the disease models human myopia on a molecular level. By elucidating the interactions between refractive errors and circadian rhythms, we aspire to contribute valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms that could guide the development of innovative preventive and therapeutic strategies to address the escalating myopia epidemic.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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51005 Tartu
Estonia
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