Helping optic nerve cells survive and regrow after glaucoma
Kinase regulators of retinal ganglion cell survival and axon regeneration
This project looks for drug-friendly enzymes (called kinases) that could help retinal nerve cells in the eye survive and regrow their connections after glaucoma or optic nerve injury.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11235837 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work uses a mouse model that mimics optic nerve injury to study why retinal ganglion cells (the nerve cells that send vision signals to the brain) die and fail to regrow their axons. Scientists used a CRISPR-based screen to turn off around 750 kinases in adult mice and found several that block survival or regeneration. The team will study two promising kinase pathways (LKB1/SNRK and Mkk4/Mkk7) to understand how they affect nerve cell survival and axon regrowth and to test approaches that could be turned into drugs. Though the experiments are in mice, the goal is to find targets that could eventually lead to treatments for people with glaucoma or other optic neuropathies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with glaucoma or other optic neuropathies that involve retinal ganglion cell damage would be the eventual patients who might benefit from therapies developed from this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose vision loss is due to non-neural causes or who have long-standing, complete optic nerve destruction may not benefit from approaches that promote retinal ganglion cell survival or axon regrowth.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new drug targets to slow vision loss and promote optic nerve repair in people with glaucoma or related optic nerve injuries.
How similar studies have performed: Previous lab studies in mice have shown some genetic or molecular interventions can improve retinal ganglion cell survival and limited axon regeneration, but most approaches are only partially effective and have not yet become treatments for people.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: He, Zhigang — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: He, Zhigang
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.