Investigating the Role of Impaired Mitochondrial Dynamics in Exfoliation Glaucoma

Exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) is a more severe form of open angle glaucoma and a blinding disease. The eye starts accumulating white flaky fibrillar aggregates blocking fluid exit from the eye. As XFG is a multifactorial disease, evidence suggests that the pathogenesis of the disease is associated with genetic variants, environmental factors, protein aggregation, oxidative stress, and cellular dysfunction. This proposal aims to study defects in mitochondrial function in XFG patient-derived primary cells and the relationship of mitochondrial dysfunction to cellular senescence (aging cells). Mitochondria are essential cellular organelles that play critical roles in cellular energy metabolism and are known to be responsible for oxidative stress-induced damage in age-dependent neurodegenerations such as glaucoma. Hence, maintaining mitochondrial health is evolving as a fundamental part of preventing aging diseases. This study will evaluate how mitochondrial function is impaired in XFG and examine therapeutic strategies to enhance mitochondrial function for the treatment of XFG.