Menu
MapConnectionsTopicsBulgariaThe Night (K-TRIO)Marie Skłodowska-CurieFor studentsFor teachersMethodologySurprise me
HEDoctoral network2023–2028

MyoTreat · Myopia - from genes and environment to cellular responses and treatment

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2023-12-01 → 2028-05-31
EU contribution
€2,747,743
Participants
12
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Myopia - from genes and environment to cellular responses and treatment

Myopia (near-sightedness) has become a massive eye health problem in industrialized countries, and not just because of its high prevalence. Traditional treatments, such as single-vision glasses and contact lenses, treat the symptoms of myopia but do not reduce the risk of vision loss associated with the excessive elongation of the near-sighted eye. Since any degree of myopia increases the risk of developing serious eye diseases, innovative research into new therapies is urgently required. Diagnostic methods and treatment options for myopia need to be improved. To this end, several projects within the MyoTreat doctoral network will identify new molecules and signalling pathways that are important for the physiology and pathophysiology of the retina. This will address the unmet need to establish biomarkers that contribute to the early detection of the disease and enable the monitoring of various strategies for treating myopia using non-invasive measurement methods. Therefore, two projects aim to improve measurement methods in order to visualise structural changes in the myopic eye, particularly in the outer periphery of the retina and choroid. It is known that susceptibility to myopia is influenced by both genetic factors and lifestyle factors such as time spent outdoors and educational level. This suggests an interaction between specific genetic variants associated with myopia and certain lifestyle risk factors. Three MyoTreat projects are investigating this topic using state-of-the-art biostatistical analysis methods for large data sets. There is growing evidence that the choroid, a vascular layer of tissue located between the retina and the sclera, plays an important role in regulating eye growth and the development of refractive errors. Choroidal thinning has been found to precede the development and progression of myopia, while choroidal thickening has been found to occur in response to existing treatments for slowing myopia progression. As the mechanisms and biochemical pathways that trigger changes in the response of the choroid are still largely unknown, they are being investigated from a variety of perspectives in MyoTreat.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

In modern industrial societies, myopia has become an important ocular health problem of young people, due to its increased incidence and associated complications, which pose a significant risk of blindness already in the middle life span. Current treatment options have limited effects with a maximum reduction of axial elongation by about 0.4 mm over several years, equivalent to a reduction in myopia by only about 1 D. Eye growth is controlled by an interplay of different biochemical pathways, one inhibitory (stimulated by image plane in front of the retina) and one stimulatory (image plane behind the retina). A novel future strategy would be to activate the inhibitory pathways rather than inhibit the growth stimulating pathways (standard target in most studies). At present, interventions to activate growth inhibition are poorly studied. The influence of environmental factors (spectral composition of ambient light) and gene-environment interactions (specific gene variants and their interaction with key lifestyle exposures) on eye growth and refractive development will be investigated. New pharmacological targets will be identified and tested, and biomarkers established to detect the onset of myopia at an earlier stage. It will be studied how choroidal hypoxia relates to choroidal thinning and axial eye growth and how it interacts with the metabolic processes in the retina and sclera. New measurement techniques will be developed that implement artificial intelligence algorithms to improve diagnostics in myopia studies, especially in the periphery of the visual field. The proposed intersectorial and interdisciplinary ""MyoTreat"" project (including anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, optics, and genetics) will train PhD students in myopia research and generate and disseminate novel research results. The ultimate scientific goal is to identify new strategies for myopia therapy through hypothesis-driven translational research in various animal models as well as in humans.""

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGEN · TuebingenCoordinatorGermany
  • CARDIFF UNIVERSITY · CARDIFFUnited Kingdom
  • CARL ZEISS VISION INTERNATIONAL GMBH · AalenGermany
  • ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM · RotterdamNetherlands
  • FOLKEHELSEINSTITUTTET · OsloNorway
  • INSTITUT FUR MOLEKULARE UND KLINISCHE OPHTHALMOLOGIE BASEL · BASELSwitzerland
  • INTEGRAGEN SA · EvryFrance
  • PARACELSUS MEDIZINISCHE PRIVATUNIVERSITAT SALZBURG - PRIVATSTIFTUNG · SalzburgAustria
  • SIGNIFY NETHERLANDS BV · EindhovenNetherlands
  • SORBONNE UNIVERSITE · ParisFrance
  • TRB Chemedica International SA · GeneveSwitzerland
  • UNIVERSITETET I SOROST-NORGE · HortenNorway

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union