By: Maeghan Keddy and Meghan Cash
Grade Grouping: 10 - 12
Team Size: 2
Subject Area: Biology
Project Type: Experimental
Project Level: Standard
Project Format: Traditional
The objective of the project was to investigate the expression of cannabinoid
receptors at different sites in ocular tissue and the ability of cannabinoids to
activate intracellular signalling molecules coupled to CB1 receptors.
If this is the case, further
investigation could show that THC and cannabinoid agonists will act at these
multiple sites in the eye to decrease intraocular pressure, either by decreasing
the rate of aqueous humor production or by increasing the rate of aqueous humor
outflow. This could be beneficial to sufferers of glaucoma, a chronic eye
disease, since increased intraocular pressure is a major risk factor for this
disease.
Three techniques were used to determine the presence of CB1 receptors in ocular tissue: Immunohistochemistry, Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction, and Western Blot Analysis. The results of these three techniques indicated that CB1 receptors are present in the ciliary body epithelium, and were localized to non-pigmented ciliary epithelial cells. The receptors were also revealed to be expressed on radial muscle tissue. This suggests that cannabinoid compounds may exert their intraocular pressure lowering effects through the reduction of aqueous humor production as well as through an increase in the aqueous humor outflow.
Microsoft FrontPage was used to design the webpage, while the Olympus Camedia Master was used to crop photos taken with a digital camera. Abode Photoshop was used to edit these pictures as well as those that had been scanned.
A digital camera [Olympus] as well as an Umax scanner were used to upload pictures to the website.
5th
Place Aventis Biotech Challenge 2003, Nova Scotia
The idea for this project came from our mentor, Anna-Maria Sczeczniak, a PhD candidate at Dalhousie University in Halifax. She had done some research into decreasing intraocular pressure in live rats and encouraged us to localize the CB1 receptors in the ocular tissue.
No special skills were used in the creation of this webpage.
