Evaluation of novel neuroprotective strategies in the treatment of retinal ganglion cell degeneration by multiscale 3D neuroimaging

The project aims at studying the potential therapeutic effects of Idebenone and the mGlu1 receptor antagonist JNJ16259685 in an experimental model of glaucoma by using a high-sensitivity microscopic approach based on X-ray phase-contrast micro-CT (X-PCI-CT) for multiscale, post-mortem 3D virtual-histology. Neuroprotection is demanded in eye disorders such as glaucoma, where death of retinal ganglion cells (RGC) and neurodegeneration along the nuclei of the visual pathway take place through different mechanisms. Mitochondria are involved in cellular processes ranging from metabolic functions to calcium homeostasis and the regulation of cell death. Activation of mGlu1 metabotropic glutamate receptors has an important role in excitotoxic degeneration of RGCs. Targeting mitochondria and mGlu1 receptors could be a potential disease modifying treatment for optic neuropathies where no treatment is currently available.