Focusing on the Eye Lens: Advancements in Specialized Protocols to Lens Biology, Physiology, and Pathology

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Catherine (Cathy) Cheng

Indiana University, School of Optometry and Vision Science Program

Dr. Catherine (Cathy) Cheng received her BS in bioengineering from University of California (UC), Berkeley and her PhD in bioengineering from UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco. As a graduate student and post-doctoral research fellow at UC Berkeley, she studied various aspects of eye lens cell and molecular biology, including gap junction communication, protein chaperones, and cataractogenesis. She then moved to Scripps Research in La Jolla, CA and studied cytoskeletal networks in the lens and their roles in biomechanical properties of the lens as a staff scientist. Currently, Dr. Cheng is an Assistant Professor in the School of Optometry and Vision Science Program at Indiana University, Bloomington. The Cheng lab is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular changes that occur in the lens during normal aging vs. pathology and revealing the role of the Eph-ephrin bidirectional signaling pathway in maintaining lens transparency and homeostasis.

Justin Parreno

Department of Biological Sciences and the Department of Biomedical Engineering University of Delaware

Dr. Justin Parreno received his BSc (Biology) and MSc (Medical Science) from the University of Calgary, Canada. He completed his PhD, in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, from the University of Toronto. Following his PhD, he did his Post-doc at Scripps Research in La Jolla, California where he examined the multiscale transmission of mechanical load onto lens structures. Dr. Parreno is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware in the Department of Biology. The Parreno lab studies the role actin reorganization plays in disease pathogenesis of musculoskeletal and ocular tissues. In particular, the Parreno lab aims to understand the role of actin in epithelial to mesenchymal transition

Collection Overview

The lens is an elastic and transparent tissue in the anterior chamber of the eye. In humans, the lens changes shape, in a process known as accommodation, to fine focuses light from near and far sources onto the retina to transmit a clear image. The function of the lens is intimately tied to its cellular structure, high protein concentration, and biomechanical properties. Globally, cataracts, or any opacity in the lens, are the leading cause of blindness. The mechanisms that drive the formation of age-related cataracts in humans remain unclear. Presbyopia is caused by decreased ability of the lens to accommodate with age and leads to the need for reading glasses. Age-related increase in lens stiffness is hypothesized to lead to presbyopia. The lens is a 3D structure with two cell types, epithelial cells that cover the anterior hemisphere and fiber cells that make up most of the lens mass. Lens fiber cells are differentiated epithelial cells with complex interdigitations, and interlocking grooves required for biomechanical integrity. The changes with age that increase lens stiffness and lead to presbyopia are still be explored. Unique surgical, biomechanical, biochemical, and cellular and molecular methods are used to study the lens. This collection of methods aims to collect detailed specialized protocols to study the cellular structure, biomechanical properties, and proteins in the lens.