Objective
Open angle glaucoma (OAG) is the second leading cause of world blindness. Treatments involving topically applied pressure-reducing medications or surgery targeting ocular drainage channels are effective, although significant complications exist. We propose to address the hypothesis that it is possible to develop a radical approach to management of intraocular pressure employing an AAV-mediated system for increasing the permeability of Schlemm’s canal endothelial cells (SCEC), based on published supportive data from this laboratory showing that RNAi-mediated down regulation of mRNA encoding components of tight junctions of neuronal vascular endothelia induces increased cell permeability, a process which has been used to validate a procedure for acute treatment of neuronal edema. While tight junctions of neuronal vascular endothelial cells have been extensively studied and comprise of a series of up to 30 protein components, less is known of the organization of adherence mechanisms of SCEC, although electron- and immunofluorescence microscopy show the presence of tight junctions. We propose a comprehensive analysis of tight junction protein expression in SCEC in vitro. In vivo studies will involve introduction of AAV vectors into the anterior chamber of the eye in rodent models of elevated IOP. The vectors will be designed to express shRNAs targeting a variety of tight junction transcripts expressed in SCEC using an inducible system. The effect of RNAi-mediated increase in the permeability of SCEC will be assessed using aqueous humour outflow measurement methods and we will also explore the utility of high resolution and diffusion-weighted MRI for this purpose, which may prove to be a simpler, non-invasive and clinically relevant method. This research will provide further fundamental insights into the mechanisms of ocular pressure maintenance and could provide benefit to those patients not responsive to conventional means of therapy.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine ophthalmology glaucoma
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine surgery
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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.
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.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2012-ADG_20120314
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Funding Scheme
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.
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.
Host institution
D02 CX56 Dublin
Ireland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.