Projects
Our Research Cluster is continually seeking highly motivated individuals to join our group. Below are a series of currently available projects and scholarships. Please don’t hesitate to contact the corresponding supervisors if you are interested.
The CGAP knockout mouse: a tool for studying age related eye diseases
Dr. Julie Lim
MSc Project
With advancing age, oxidative stress results in redox imbalance and eye diseases which threaten the sight of the elderly. We propose that the cystine/glutamate antiporter (CGAP) in the eye is important for maintaining redox balance and minimising oxidative stress. Clincal assessments on CGAP knockout mice reveal the early onset of eye diseases. To eludicate the underlying pathways that result in these pathologies, molecular and fucntional tests will be performed and this information used to guide the design of effective therapies that target a specific tissue of the eye against oxidative stress to delay the onset of age related eye diseases. Read more…
Inter tissue cross talk in the eye: is the lens a source of extracellular vesicles in the ocular humors?
Dr. Julie Lim
PhD/MSc Project
In this study, we are interested in understanding how the tissues of the eye “talk” to each other. We hypothesise that the lens possesses an important biological role in its ability to secrete vesicles known as extracellular vesicles which act as delivery vehicles that transport biological information to other tissues of the eye for normal tissue function. Read more…
Mapping ocular drug uptake and metabolism for better drug design and delivery
Dr. Gus Grey
PhD/MSc Project
The lens is a target for drug therapies that treat various types of cataract, and may also affect the ocular pharmacokinetics of other drugs that target other ocular tissues. Drug distribution in the lens has been studied in vitro with many compounds, however the experimental methods vary and there is no detailed information on drug distribution, transport, and metabolism within different lens regions. Mass spectrometry-based mapping of drugs is very powerful, allowing many drugs to be mapped simultaneously. However, steroid drugs are difficult to detect due to their unsuitability for ionisations by MALDI. Read more…