Breakthrough in treatment for glaucoma

An Indian-origin researcher-led team of scientists has yielded new insight regarding the regulation of intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma – an irreversible disease that is the leading cause of blindness. Sanjoy Bhattacharya and colleagues at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine validate their hypothesis that the response of aqueous humour (fluid produced in the eye) to mechanical stimuli at the cellular level (mechanosensing) impacts the regulation of IOP through cells converting that stimuli into chemical activity. At the center of this breakthrough lies the protein cochlin, which was discovered in the trabecular meshwork seven years ago using highly sensitive mass spectrometry. The TM refers to tissue located around the base of the cornea that is responsible for filtering and draining aqueous humor from the eye and controlling the IOP. "With elevated IOP being the primary modifiable risk factor affecting the development and progression of glaucoma, this advancement opens up potential avenues for effective and innovative manipulation of the pathway of aqueous outflow using mechanosensors and mechanotransducers. In turn, it could lead to meaningful intervention strategies," the team says. The findings have been published in the `PLoS One` journal.