Daniel Saban, PhD received $100,000 bridge funding for his proposal "The role of adaptive immune responses in the causation of meibomian gland dysfunction.”
Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is greatest risk factor for dry eye disease. While inflammation is associated with MGD in many patient populations, whether the immune response plays a role in MGD causation, or rather is simply an epiphenomenon of this condition is poorly understood. The goal of our grant is to determine in a novel mouse model of MGD, the precise role of the immune system in MGD and to pinpoint the immune cell types involved.