Mustard gas effects on the eye surface mitochondria
Official title: Mitochondria and Mustard Damage at the Ocular Surface
Funded at Tufts Medical Center · NIH-11161416 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing small molecules that may protect the cells on the eye surface from damage caused by mustard gas and related chemicals, aiming to help people with chemical eye injuries.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $531,186 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY035220-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11161416 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who have had or are at risk of ocular exposure to sulfur mustard, nitrogen mustard, or similar vesicant chemicals, and those with oxidative-stress–driven ocular surface disease, would be the likely candidates for future clinical testing.
✕Less likely to help
People whose eye problems are unrelated to chemical exposure or mitochondrial/oxidative-stress mechanisms (for example routine refractive error or cataract) are unlikely to benefit from these specific countermeasures.
What this research studies
This work uses laboratory models of the eye surface to find how mustard agents (and related chemicals) damage cell mitochondria and cause harmful oxidative stress. Scientists expose cultured ocular surface cells to nitrogen or sulfur mustard analogues, track calcium signals, the unfolded protein response, and mitochondrial pore opening, and then test drugs (for example dynasore and mdivi-1) for protective effects. Early results show some drugs protect against hydrogen peroxide but have mixed effects against mustard analogues, so the team is studying the exact mechanisms that differ between insults. Although these experiments are done in cells, the goal is to guide development of medicines that could someday prevent or reduce long-term eye damage after chemical exposure.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to new treatments that prevent or reduce long-term eye damage after exposure to mustard gas or similar chemical injuries.
How similar studies have gone: Related laboratory studies have shown that some dynamin-targeting small molecules can protect eye cells from oxidative damage, but protection against mustard-agent injury has been mixed and remains experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts Medical Center
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fini, M Elizabeth — Tufts Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Fini, M Elizabeth
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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.