Factors that shape the microbes on the eyelid margin
Determinants of the periocular microbiome
Researchers will collect eyelid swabs, eye exams, and health and genetic information from adult twins to learn what controls the microbes living on the eyelid margins.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11386192 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, you would complete questionnaires, have a short eye exam, and allow a quick swab of your eyelid margins. Lab teams will extract DNA and RNA from those swabs and use metagenomic sequencing to catalog the bacteria and viruses present. Some participants will provide swabs from both eyes and some will be sampled more than once to study stability over time. The project will link the microbial data with existing genetic information in the TwinsUK registry to see whether differences are influenced by heredity.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults aged 21 or older, especially members of the TwinsUK registry, who are willing to provide eyelid swabs, health questionnaires, and undergo a brief eye exam.
Not a fit: Children, people not enrolled in TwinsUK, or anyone seeking immediate treatment for an active eye infection are unlikely to gain direct clinical benefit from participation in this observational project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better knowledge of the eyelid microbiome could lead to improved diagnosis or new prevention and treatment strategies for conditions like blepharitis, dry eye, chalazion, and Meibomian gland disease.
How similar studies have performed: Metagenomic sequencing has successfully described skin and ocular surface microbes before, but large genetic studies of the eyelid margin using twin cohorts are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- University of Washington — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Van Gelder, Russell N. — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Van Gelder, Russell N.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.