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Approved research

Genome-wide association study of ocular diseases in UK and East-Asia populations.

Principal Investigator: Professor Zi-Bing Jin
Approved Research ID: 21497
Approval date: October 1st 2016

Lay summary

Our research project aims to identify ocular defect-related susceptibility genes, which provides insight into the molecular basis of this significant eye disorder. With increased statistical power, we also perform large-scale genome-wide association studies to reveal ocular disease-related genetic loci, such as myopia, strabismus, cataract, glaucoma etc. Myopia and other functional ocular diseases are common causes of visual impairment in human and is a significant global public health concern. Identifying associated genetic variants will provide unbiased information about how and why these develop. We believe that such knowledge provides one of the most promising routes towards rational therapy which is both safe and effective. We will use whole-genome genotyping data produced by UK Biobank to investigate genetic differences associated with myopia and other common ocular defects. And then use this information to dissect the role of these genes and pathways in these diseases. Combined with our previous collected data, the large dataset can be powerful to identify genetic background of common eye disorders. Full cohort.