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ATP mediated diameter regulation of porcine retinal vessels at different branching levels ex vivo
2021.12.21 |
| Date | Fri 14 Jan |
| Time | 14:00 — 16:00 |
| Location | Online and in Auditorium G206-142, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby - Covid-19 restrictions apply |
On Friday 14 January at 14:00, Charlotte Ernst defends her PhD dissertation entitled "ATP mediated diameter regulation of porcine retinal vessels at different branching levels ex vivo".
Disturbances in the regulation of retinal blood flow are involved in some of the major vision-threatening diseases in the Western world including diabetic retinopathy. The development of new therapies to treat these diseases requires knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the regulation of retinal blood flow under normal conditions.
The energy- and signaling molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is known to be one of the key mediators of retinal blood flow regulation on the larger retinal arterioles while the vasoactive effects on the smaller retinal blood vessels remain unknown. Therefore, the purpose of the present PhD dissertation was to elucidate the role of the purine nucleotide ATP for the diameter regulation of retinal vessels at different branching levels.
For the experiments, hemiretinas from fresh pig eyes were used. The hemiretinas were mounted in a specially designed tissue chamber which allows the examination of the diameter regulation of all vascular branching levels in the retina during the control of pH, temperature, and oxygen tension. In addition, the tissue chamber was modified in order to record fluorescence from retinal cells loaded with a calcium-sensitive fluorophore simultaneously with the diameter recordings.
A deeper understanding of the mechanisms and cells involved in diameter regulation of retinal arterioles at different branching levels can be used to obtain a more detailed understanding of diseases where changes in the diameter regulation of retinal vessels are involved in the disease pathogenesis and possibly point to new therapeutic options for retinal vascular disease such as diabetic retinopathy.
The summary is written by the PhD student.
The defence is public and takes place online and in Auditorium G206-142, Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby - Covid-19 restrictions apply. Please read the attached press release for more information.
PhD student Charlotte Ernst
Mail: ce@clin.au.dk
Phone: (+45) 28122828