OXPHOS Upregulation To Preserve Vision In Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$496,874.00
Summary
Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a devastating blinding disease that preferentially affects young men. Sufferers have normal vision until teenage years or their twenties when a rapid loss of vision occurs that results in permanent blindness. It is caused by genetic changes in the mitochondrial DNA that we inherit from our mothers. The mitochondria are the cells' energy generators. We aim to use molecules similar to female hormones to boost energy as a new treatment to preserve visio ....Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a devastating blinding disease that preferentially affects young men. Sufferers have normal vision until teenage years or their twenties when a rapid loss of vision occurs that results in permanent blindness. It is caused by genetic changes in the mitochondrial DNA that we inherit from our mothers. The mitochondria are the cells' energy generators. We aim to use molecules similar to female hormones to boost energy as a new treatment to preserve vision in at-risk LHON individuals.Read moreRead less
Non-invasive Retinal Vein Pulsation Pressure Measurement: A New Assessment Of Glaucoma Treatment.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$557,666.00
Summary
Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness. It is a slowly degenerating disease and the level of treatment required is difficult to predict. At present there is no way of knowing whether the eye is receiving inadequate treatment. We have shown that retinal vein pulsation pressure measurements are an indicator of the likelihood of glaucoma progression. Our proposed studies hope to demonstrate for the first time that it is feasible to determine the appropriate treatment level for indivi ....Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness. It is a slowly degenerating disease and the level of treatment required is difficult to predict. At present there is no way of knowing whether the eye is receiving inadequate treatment. We have shown that retinal vein pulsation pressure measurements are an indicator of the likelihood of glaucoma progression. Our proposed studies hope to demonstrate for the first time that it is feasible to determine the appropriate treatment level for individual patients.Read moreRead less
Boosting Mitochondria- A New Approach For Protecting The Aging Optic Nerve In Glaucoma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$391,784.00
Summary
Increasing age is a major risk factor for neurodegeneration. We have recently shown that subjecting mice to intermittent periods of fasting improves mitochondrial function in the retina and reverses age-related decline in optic nerve vulnerability to injury. This project now aims to investigate key molecular pathway for restoring mitochondria and from this attempts to find more palatable therapeutic strategies for protecting the optic nerve from injury.
Saving The Optic Nerve : Manipulating The Shp2-Caveolin Axis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$546,395.00
Summary
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness with many patients experiencing progressive vision loss despite treatment. We propose to use gene therapy techniques to manipulate the signalling pathway of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor and its receptor, along with biochemical and functional approaches to understand the mechanisms of glaucoma mediated eye damage and to develop new therapeutic strategies.
Glaucoma is a progressive, poorly understood blinding disease with limited treatment options. It is characterised by the death of the nerve cells in the eye whose fibres form the optic nerve. Results obtained in the current proposal will lead to a better understanding of key features of the early stages of the disease and, additionally, will explore the potential of a novel therapeutic approach based on regeneration of damaged nerve fibres within the optic nerve.
Modelling Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$628,416.00
Summary
Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a blinding disease that affects young males and is caused by the death of cells in the optic nerve. To better understand LHON, this project utilises induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for disease modelling. iPS cells will be generated from patients and turned into optic nerve cells, allowing us to study the diseased cells in the laboratory, providing a platform to screen for novel drugs to improve treatment options and fast-track drug development.
Assessing Paraclinical Measures Of Axonal Degeneration Following Acute Optic Neuritis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$367,450.00
Summary
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is caused by immune attack on the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in loss of the insulating material that surrounds nerve cells, as well as a degree of loss of the nerve cells themselves. Several partially effective therapies are available. A hurdle in developing CNS based therapies is methods to adequately test them. This study aims to assess biomarkers that could potentially be used to measure the damage in the optic nerve, a commonly affected structure in MS.