# Development of Robust Corneal Biomechanical Biomarkers for Glaucoma Using Brillouin Microscopy

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2024 · $230,430

## Abstract

Project Summary:
While elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma, up to
one third of patients have glaucoma at normal IOPs and patients with ocular hypertension may
have high IOP for years without any detectable glaucoma damage. This is in part because, in
biomechanical terms, the IOP describes the applied force or stress applied to the ocular tissues
but not the effect of the applied force, the deformation or strain. Differences in intrinsic
biomechanical properties of collagenous ocular tissues may explain the difference in response
to the stress of IOP. While prior work has shown some differences in the corneal biomechanical
properties between glaucoma subjects and controls, the widespread adoption of corneal
biomechanics as glaucoma biomarkers has been hampered by the limitations of current
technologies. Specifically, the currently used modalities rely on mechanical perturbations of the
cornea which give variable results that are confounded by IOP. The rationale underlying this
proposal is that Brillouin microscopy, a highly precise, IOP-independent, and more direct
method for determining corneal biomechanics, will improve our understanding of glaucoma
biomechanics and that its use will result in robust biomarkers for the disease. In Specific Aim 1,
we will compare the Brillouin corneal modulus in a cross-sectional study of primary open angle
glaucoma (POAG) patients and age-matched controls. We hypothesize that the Brillouin
corneal modulus will be significantly lower in eyes with POAG, indicating a cornea that is less
stiff. In Specific Aim 2 we will conduct a longitudinal study to assess the effect of short-term use
of topical prostaglandin analogs (PGA) on the corneal modulus in POAG patients and controls.
We expect that PGA use will result in a reduced corneal modulus (i.e. a decrease in corneal
stiffness), which has important implications in terms of assessing the IOP targets and treatment
success after use of PGAs. We plan to use the results of this study as preliminary data for a
larger, longer-term, and more comprehensive study to establish corneal biomechanics as robust
biomarkers for the disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10888544
- **Project number:** 1R21EY035483-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Osamah Jawaid Saeedi
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $230,430
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10888544

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10888544, Development of Robust Corneal Biomechanical Biomarkers for Glaucoma Using Brillouin Microscopy (1R21EY035483-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10888544. Licensed CC0.

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