Progress in Cataract Research and Treatment

Article: New research may revolutionise cataract treatment
Source: Anglia Ruskin University (U.K.), via ScienceDaily
Published: May 19, 2021

Research presented at ARVO 2021 reported on the role of aquaporins, channels that allow for water transport through cell membranes, in the development of the lens of the eye in a zebrafish model. Disruption of aquaporins leads to opacification of the lens, known as a cataract. The study took an optics approach using a synchrotron, a particle accelerator that produces powerful X-rays by accelerating electrons to the speed of light. Specifically, the research relied on SPring-8, the world’s largest and most powerful synchrotron, in Japan. This allowed for measurements of the optical properties of the eye with the highest accuracy yet. Their team was also the first in the world to measure how the optics of the eye lens develop. Although studied in a zebrafish model at this point, discoveries pertaining to the optical properties of the lens can add to avenues for drug-based therapies for cataracts, especially in countries where surgical resources are scarce.

My rating of this study: ⭐⭐

Wang K; Vorontsova I; Hoshino M, et al. "Aquaporins Have Regional Functions in Development of Refractive Index in the Zebrafish Eye Lens." Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.  62(23). March 2021. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.62.3.23