Invited Academic Seminar Series – Ross Ethier – Signalling pathways in myopia

Abstract:

Myopia (near-sightedness) is predicted to affect 50% of all people worldwide by 2050. Although near-sightedness itself can be corrected optically (glasses, contacts), myopia increases the risk of blinding diseases (glaucoma, retinal detachment, etc.) and thus the increased incidence of myopia is predicted to be an important driver of vision loss worldwide. Most cases of myopia are due to excessive axial eye growth; unfortunately, the signaling pathways underlying this axial growth are very poorly understood. We have found that oral administration of all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) causes myopia in mice, implicating atRA as an important player in the myopigenic signaling cascade. In this talk, I will describe our ongoing studies of myopigenic atRA signaling in the eye based on the use of mouse models, atRA tracer studies and mathematical modeling. I will also describe studies of how atRA interacts with dopaminergic signaling and light levels (two known modulators of myopia).