My research is
focused on developing novel specific treatments for glaucoma that are directed
at the trabecular meshwork, the tissue that is known to be abnormal in glaucoma,
causing increased resistance to outflow of aqueous humor from the anterior
chamber of the eye. Methods include modern cell biological and molecular
techniques to study both the tissue and cells of the outflow pathway in vitro
and in vivo. There is an emphasis on the influence of the cytoskeleton on
aqueous humor outflow function. In addition, recent work of the
laboratory has focused on gene expression during elevations of intraocular
pressure or mechanical stretch, with the goal of identifying key homeostatic
influences on aqueous humor outflow resistance that might lead to novel
therapies for glaucoma. A current hypothesis is that proteasome
dysfunction might be involved in the cellular aging that leads to glaucoma.
