Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Multipronged Approach To Study Glaucoma-Associated Phenotypes, Sumana Rameshbabu Chintalapudi

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Glaucoma refers to a group of conditions characterized by death of RGCs, increase in intraocular pressure is usually a precursor to glaucoma and irreversible optic neuropathy leads to visual impairment and blindness. Recent advances have seen a surge of new ideas and technologies to aid in the early detection, efficacious treatments and neuroprotection. Despite advances we face several challenges in understanding the pathophysiology of glaucoma. One of the many challenges scientists and ophthalmologists are facing is, to better understand IOP, its role in glaucomatous damage and design safer, more predictable IOP-lowering therapies. Another challenge is to find a practical method …

Regulation Of Phosphatase And Tensin Homolog Expression And Activity By Transforming Growth-Factor Beta In The Trabecular Meshwork Cells: Implications For Primary Open Angle Glaucoma, Nikoleta Tellios

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Glaucoma is a multifactorial condition caused, in part, by fibrosis of the sieve-like trabecular meshwork (TM) tissue, which impedes drainage of aqueous humor (AH), leading to increased intraocular pressure and associated optic nerve damage and blindness. Fibrosis of the TM is mainly caused by the increased levels of active transforming growth factor-β 2 (TGFβ2) in the AH of glaucoma patients.

Previous reports have shown that TGFβ decreases the expression of Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN) gene and that PTEN is a major regulator of ECM deposition. In this study we investigate the regulation of PTEN protein expression and …

Inhibiting The Interaction Between Grp94 And Myocilin To Treat Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma, Andrew Stothert

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative protein misfolding disorder classified by increases in IOP, damage to retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), optic nerve (ON) head damage, and progressive irreversible blindness. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common form of glaucoma, constituting over 90% of clinical cases. POAG is observed in patients where normal outflow channels, mainly the trabecular meshwork (TM), are exposed at the angle formed by the iris and cornea. However, due to TM cellular dysfunction, aqueous outflow resistance is increased preventing normal circulation of aqueous humor. Recent studies have shown that in 2-4% of POAG cases, increased intracellular levels of …