The US National Eye Institute has announced that its Anterior Segment Initiative has funded eight research projects to explore the innervation of the eye’s surface. The collaborative projects will examine the molecular, morphological, and functional aspects of corneal pain and sensation, and tearing reflexes. Project findings will inform understanding of dry eye disease, neuropathic ocular pain, migraine, Sjogren’s syndrome, and other conditions that affect the anterior segment of the eye.
These projects bring together large, multidisciplinary teams of scientists, often from multiple institutions. Through this collaborative approach, NEI is supporting the development of new techniques, new resources, and unique datasets that will benefit the vision research field for years to come. NEI has committed over $50M to these projects over the next 5 years.
The funded projects are as follows:
Mechanisms of pain and photophobia in migraine and dry eye (EY034680) - Sue Aicher and Catherine Morgans, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Tally Largent-Milnes, University of Arizona
Understanding neural control of the ocular surface (EY034693) - Michael Jenkins, Carl Saab, Marcin Golczak, Rony Sayegh, Patricia Taylor, William Dupps, and David Wilson, Case Western Reserve University
Central and peripheral mechanisms of corneal pain (EY034709) - Ian Meng, University of New England; Pedram Hamrah, Tufts University; and William Renthal, Harvard Medical School
Differentiation of clinical phenotypes of inflammatory and neuropathic ocular pain conditions with morphologic measures and functional brain imaging (EY034686) - Eric Moulton, Joseph Ciolino, Deborah Jacobs, Scott Holmes, and David Zurakowski, Harvard University; and Anat Galor and Elizabeth Roy Felix, University of Miami
Underpinnings of corneal innervation: anatomical, molecular, and functional studies of corneal sensory afferents in physiologic and pathologic states (EY034681) - Panteleimon Rompolas, Vivian Lee, Wenqin Luo, Hao Wu, and Long Ding, University of Pennsylvania
Effects of cornea epithelial barrier disruption on the cornea trigeminal neural circuit (EY034692) - Stephen Pflugfelder, Rui Chen and Cintia De Paiva, Baylor College of Medicine; and Mary Ann Stepp, George Washington University
Blink, lacrimation, and nociception: precision mapping and integrated atlas generation of corneal trigeminal afferents (EY034687) - Daniel Saban, Sina Farsiu, Jadee Neff, and Victor Perez Quinones, Duke University, and Anna Matynia and Igor Spigelman, University of California, Los Angeles
Assessing how ocular surface nerves, immune cells, and epithelial cells communicate to encourage neuro-immune homeostasis (EY034711) - Anthony St. Leger, Daniel Kaplan, Harinder Singh, Brian Davis, Yun Hongmin, Robert Shanks, Jishnu Das, and William Hawse, University of Pittsburgh
Read the full announcement from the National Eye Institute.
Source: National Eye Institute