Adjusting the axial curvature of the cornea, it turns out that this cell is related to myopia The new research results of the team of Academician Yang Xiongli provide new ideas for the research and development of myopia intervention

Among the numerous studies on the mechanism of myopia, the team of Academician Yang Xiongli has taken a unique approach and focused on the role of ipRGC. These cells are a special type of retinal ganglion cells. They act as output neurons to transmit photoreceptor signals to the visual center; not only that, they also express a unique visual pigment, melanopsin. Since it is sensitive to light, it is called “self-sensing retinal ganglion cells”. Discovered in the early 2000s, this type of cell was named one of the “Top Ten Scientific Breakthroughs” in 2002 by the journal Science.

Under the guidance of Academician Yang Xiongli, Researcher Weng Shijun and Researcher Zhong Yongmei led a team of postgraduates, based on the mouse myopia model of form deprivation, and applied multidisciplinary technology to ipRGC. The role of refractive development and myopia formation in mice was systematically studied. Experiments show that the substantia nigra and conventional photoreceptor signals contained in ipRGC affect the development of the eyeball by modulating the axial length and corneal curvature, respectively.

This work clearly clarifies the important role of ipRGC in eyeball development and myopia formation for the first time. Offers new ideas. Yang Xiongli, Weng Shijun, and Zhong Yongmei are the co-corresponding authors of the paper; twelve graduate students and technicians participated in this research, and Liu Ailin is the first author of the paper.