Glycosylation in ocular surface health and disease

Corneal nerves are crucial for sensory information and health, but innervation is often impaired in corneal disorders, leading to vision loss. While the peripheral nervous system can regenerate, this process is slow and incomplete, often resulting in impaired sensory function and symptoms like ocular dryness and pain. This project hypothesizes that changes in glycan composition in the trigeminal ganglion following corneal injury have significant consequences for nerve regeneration and sensation, and could be manipulated to treat neuropathic corneal pain. The research aims to understand the types of glycans present in the trigeminal ganglion and their contribution to corneal sensation.