Elucidating the role of the transcription factor Foxg1 in mouse eye development – insights into ocular coloboma

Coloboma is an eye disorder that affects approximately 1:10,000 children and may result in the child
being blind or partially sighted. It originates from impaired formation of the eye during embryonic
development. Although both environmental and genetic factors contribute to coloboma, most cases
seem to be caused by errors in our genes. However, there are still many cases of coloboma for
which the causative gene has not yet been identified. Using the mouse as our experimental model
we propose to study the involvement of specific genes in proper eye formation and aim to
understand better the causes of coloboma.