# Biomechanics of Lens Morphogenesis

> **NIH NIH R01** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $389,650

## Abstract

Project Summary
Lens shape is a primary determinant of its optical power and accommodative ability. Growth-induced
change in lens shape directly causes presbyopia and is a known risk factor for age-related cataract.
However, the biomechanical factors which interact to govern age-related changes in lens shape remain
unknown. In the proposed study, we will systematically characterize the biomechanical properties of the
aging human lens and use that information to understand how the lens shape evolves with age. A novel
theory of constrained soft tissue growth will be employed to account for the presence of the lens capsule
and its influence on the volumetric expansion of the lens fiber cell compartment. The biomechanical
interaction between the fiber cell compartment and the capsule ultimately dictates the shape of the lens.
These interactions behave like a water balloon filled with gelatin: as the gelatin sets, the properties of the
gelatin contribute more and more to the shape of the balloon.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10904005
- **Project number:** 5R01EY035278-02
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew A Reilly
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $389,650
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-01 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10904005

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10904005, Biomechanics of Lens Morphogenesis (5R01EY035278-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10904005. Licensed CC0.

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