Keio University

Control of Scleral Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Suppresses the Onset and Progression of Myopia—Elucidating the Mechanism of Myopia Progression and Raising Hopes for the Creation of New Therapeutic Drugs for Myopia

Publish: October 11, 2022
Public Relations Office

October 11, 2022

Keio University School of Medicine

A research group from the Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, led by Professor Emeritus Kazuo Tsubota (CEO of Tsubota Laboratory, Inc.), Associate Professor Toshihide Kurihara, and Project Assistant Professor Shin-ichi Ikeda, has discovered that endoplasmic reticulum stress in the sclera (the white part of the eye) plays a central role in the progression of myopia, and that controlling this stress can suppress its progression.

These findings are considered to be of extremely high social significance. By identifying the underlying molecular mechanism of the ever-increasing condition of myopia, they not only promote future research into myopia treatment but also pave the way for the creation of effective and safe drug therapies.

The results of this research were published in the online edition of the interdisciplinary general journal Nature Communications on October 10 (Greenwich Mean Time).

Please see below for the full press release.

Press Release (PDF)