E052 – Corneal neurodegeneration

Objectives

1. Description of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of corneal ectasias.
2. Description of the proteomic alterations from the preclinical stage of keratoconus disease; in association with the corneal tomographic and biomechanical study.
3. Preclinical development of diapeutic nanoparticles for keratoconus based on the potential of the pharmacological effect of lactoferrin.
4. Identification of tear biomarkers for the detection of neurodegenerative diseases.

Lines of research

• Inflammation markers in corneal neurodegenerative diseases.

• Innate immunity in corneal ectasias and early diagnosis markers.

• Tear proteomics in keratoconus and first-order relatives.

• Diapeutics of keratoconus with vectorized nanoparticles.

• In vitro models for research in corneal ectasias.

• Tear biomarkers for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Ayudas para la Consolidación e Estructuración de Unidades de Investigación Competitivas. Modalidad: Grupos de Referencia Competitiva
Código del proyecto: IN607A2022/03
Entidad financiadora: Axencia Galega de Innovación
Duración: 2022-2025
Investigador/a principal: Ramón Iglesias Rey

Bloqueo de la inmunidad innata en la prevención de la progresión del Queratocono
Código del proyecto: PI14/00247
Entidad financiadora: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Duración: 2014-2017
Investigador/a principal: Isabel Lema Gesto

Diapéutica del queratocono con nanopartículas vectorizadas
Código del proyecto: PI17/00159
Entidad financiadora: Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Duración: 2019-2021
Investigador/a principal: Isabel Lema Gesto

• Regueiro U; Pastoriza Y; López López M; Wouter Venema; Isabel Lema; Jonas Kuiper; Robert Wisse.
  Kruppel‐like factor 5 ( KLF5 ) as a genetic factor associated with the etiopathogenesis of Keratoconus. Acta Ophthalmol, 2024, 102. doi: 10.1111/aos.16083 
• López-López, M., Regueiro, U., Alvite-Piñeiro, T., Díez-Feijoo, E. and Lema, I. Proteomic profiling of tear fluid
  from offspring of keratoconus patients: new insights into pathways and molecular drivers of disease development.
  Acta Ophthalmol. 2024; 102:S297. doi: 10.1111/aos.15827 
• Regueiro U, López-López M, Varela-Fernández R, Sobrino T, Diez-Feijoo E, Lema I. Immunomodulatory Effect of Human Lactoferrin on Toll-like Receptors 2 Expression as Therapeutic Approach for Keratoconus. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Oct 15;23(20):12350. doi: 10.3390/ijms232012350.
• Romaus-Sanjurjo D, Regueiro U, López-López M, Vázquez-Vázquez L, Ouro A, Lema I, Sobrino T. Alzheimer’s Disease Seen through the Eye: Ocular Alterations and Neurodegeneration. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Feb 24;23(5):2486. doi: 10.3390/ijms23052486.
• López-López M, Regueiro U, Bravo SB, Chantada-Vázquez MDP, Pena C, Díez-Feijoo E, Hervella P, Lema I. Shotgun Proteomics for the Identification and Profiling of the Tear Proteome of Keratoconus Patients. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2022 May 2;63(5):12. doi: 10.1167/iovs.63.5.12.
• Varela-Fernández R, García-Otero X, Díaz-Tomé V, Regueiro U, López-López M, González-Barcia M, Isabel Lema M, Otero-Espinar FJ. Mucoadhesive PLGA Nanospheres and Nanocapsules for Lactoferrin Controlled Ocular Delivery. Pharmaceutics. 2022 Apr 6;14(4):799. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14040799.
• López-López M, Regueiro U, Bravo SB, Chantada-Vázquez MDP, Varela-Fernández R, Ávila-Gómez P, Hervella P, Lema I. Tear Proteomics in Keratoconus: A Quantitative SWATH-MS Analysis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2021 Aug 2;62(10):30. doi: 10.1167/iovs.62.10.30.
• Regueiro U, López-López M, Hervella P, Sobrino T, Lema I. Corneal and conjunctival alteration of innate immune expression in first-degree relatives of keratoconus patients. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2021 Feb;259(2):459-467. doi: 10.1007/s00417-020-04929-9.