2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Does the crystalline lens become harder with aging?
| Project/Area Number |
18K19119
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Review Section |
Medium-sized Section 35:Polymers, organic materials, and related fields
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| Research Institution | Kyushu University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
松浦 豊明 奈良県立医科大学, 医学部, 非常勤講師 (10238959)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2018-06-29 – 2020-03-31
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| Keywords | 水晶体 / 弾性率 / ブリユアン散乱 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Presbyopia is closely associated with the loss of accommodation, and hence with a decline in the viscoelastic properties of the human eye lens. In this study we describe a method for obtaining spatially resolved in vivo measurements of the rheological properties of the eye lens, based on the spectroscopic analysis of spontaneous Brillouin scattering using a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA). Confocal scanning was used to perform Brillouin elasticity imaging of the corneas of whole porcine eyes. The multi-pass configuration enhances resolution to the extent that measurements are possible in elastic biological tissue characterized by intense scattering. We also present spatially resolved measurements obtained in extracted animal eyes and lenses. The results yield entirely new insights into the aging process of the eye lens. This novel technique has the potential for use in clinical diagnostics and treatment monitoring.
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| Free Research Field |
高分子物理化学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
本研究では，調節機能を水晶体ゲルの物性を分子レベルで明らかにすること，すなわち，①力学物性の３次元空間分布を非侵襲的に測定する方法論の確立，②力学物性と調節との相関解明，特に老視に観られる水晶体硬化への水晶体皮質と水晶体核それぞれの寄与を明らかにすることにある。「水晶体ゲルの分子物理化学」から得られる知見を基に，バイオハイドロゲルが関わる様々な生命現象の分子レベルでの理解を深化させる。人類の高齢化が急速に進む現在，加齢現象に伴う生体機能の変化，疾病による異常を分子レベルで理解することの重要性は益々高まっている。その中で，視覚は人間にとって重要な情報収集手段のひとつであり，本研究の意義は大きい。
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