Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION May 2017 25 2. Roger W. Beuerman, Seang Mei Saw. Myopia: Animal Models to Clinical Trials. World Scientific. 2010. pp. 375 Dr. Schwartz' team is currently looking at which areas of the brain these cells connect to by doing ret- rograde injections. "We're injecting different beads and viruses and stuff in different places of the brain and seeing which ones retrogradely transport back to these cells in the retina. One place of interest is the optic pretectal nucleus, which controls pupil dila- tion," he explained. The team is also performing RNA sequencing for each ganglion cell they identify in the retina, hop- ing to find a gene that is expressed only in OND RGC and not other RGCs. If such a gene is identified, a knockout mouse model can be created to evaluate how eye growth changes. From a therapeutic standpoint, Dr. Schwartz said there is enough evidence to suggest that increasing time outdoors in childhood can help prevent some forms of myopia, but this research more specifically could someday aid those with serious genetic forms of myopia. "But to really fix the genetic forms of myopia during childhood development, we need a real inter- vention. Gene therapy is a real possi- bility, but that's difficult for a variety of reasons … but a shorter path to a clinical intervention would be phar- macology. If we could inject a drug into the eye that affects this cell and not other ones," that's the ultimate goal, Dr. Schwartz said explained. Dr. Schwartz and his team are actively looking into this possibility, in particular with GABAb receptor antagonists, like the already U.S. Food and Drug Administration-ap- proved baclofen. "This cell has a different gather receptor that has a different form of inhibition than other retinal gangli- on cells, so we're exploring whether drugs that target that receptor will affect this cell and not others," Dr. Schwartz said. EW Editors' note: Dr. Schwartz has no financial interests related to his com- ments in this article. References 1. Mani A, et al. Circuit mechanisms of a retinal ganglion cell with stimulus-dependent response latency and activation beyond its dendrites. Current Biology. 2017;27:471–82. SAFE • Patented Purion®Process gently dehydrates and terminally sterilizes the amniotic membrane while preserving essential growth factors, proteins and cytokines EFFECTIVE • Over 75,000+ eyes treated • Proven Purion®Technology retains more essential growth factors, proteins and cytokines than other products SIMPLE • Easily applied onto a dry cornea and covered with a bandage contact lens • Performed during a brief office visit without the need for taping the eye shut COMFORTABLE • Well tolerated by patients • No foreign body sensation WELL REIMBURSED • Covered in the office environment under CPT code 65778. (Call our free hotline to determine the reimbursement in your area 888.700.9005) EXTENDED SHELF LIFE • 5 year shelf life at room temperature • No special handling/shipping required ® 800 -989-1195 • www.katena.com Call today to learn more about AmbioDisk for ocular surface disorders AD329-15C HELP FOR YOUR PATIENTS WITH Ocular surface disorders Do you treat patients with ocular surface issues? Do you see patients with corneal erosions or epithelial defects? Have you ever considered using AmbioDisk to help your patients? Contact information Schwartz: greg.schwartz@northwestern.edu

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