Ocular Hypertension and Primary Open Angle Glaucoma Research

Elevated Intraocular pressure (IOP) is thought to be the major risk factor of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG), an eye disease that results in the irreversible loss of peripheral vision and blindness. The only way to treat or halt the POAG is by lowering the IOP level. Past studies have focused on trabecular meshwork cells, the cells responsible for regulating the drainage of that aqueous humor that creates IOP, and how specific proteins affect these cells. However, there is still much to discover, which has lead to the project primarily focusing on the protein clusterin. Clusterin is a chaperone protein that helps other proteins to fold properly and function normally. We have identified that clusterin helps to keep the trabecular meshwork cells functional and IOP normal.