Mutual interaction of retinal circadian clocks and ion channels as a potential link for age-related retinal diseases

Currently, 1.3 billion people live with vision impairment, and rapidly aging population is set to suffer from age-related visual diseases. The molecular mechanisms underlying these diseases is not fully understood. A potential mechanism is the dysregulation of ion channels and the circadian clock in the retina-retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-interface. My overall goal is to elucidate the links between ion channels and circadian clock in the RPE. This will be achieved by an interdisciplinary approach encompassing bioinformatics analysis of publicly available datasets, molecular, high resolution imaging, electrophysiological techniques together with tissue engineering and stem cell technology. The described experiments will elucidate the complex molecular interplay between ion channels and circadian clock in the retina-RPE interface. These findings are likely to advance the development of new treatments for age-related visual disorders.