Jin Zibing, a professor at Wenzhou Medical University, said in an exclusive interview with reporters: "We have collected a large number of samples and come to the conclusion that if the father is over 35 years old at birth, the probability of their next generation suffering from high myopia will increase, up to 50%. The discovery of BSG also reminds many men who marry late and have children late today. "
High myopia is the main cause of blindness in China at present. It is difficult to study its pathogenesis, and the intervention and prevention of high myopia are also facing many challenges. The Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University and the State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, as the main myopia research bases in the world, have long been focusing on myopia research. Qu Jia and Jin Zibing led the research team to discover and clarify the new pathogenic gene BSG of high myopia through a large sample. By expanding population screening, the mutant gene was knocked into the mouse model, which verified the pathogenicity of BSG mutation, constructed a mutant mouse model that could lead to the lengthening of eye axis, and clarified the pathogenic mechanism.
Studies have shown that BSG is expressed in both ciliary body and neuroretina, suggesting that the target tissue is the root of this kind of high myopia, which lays a genetic foundation for the prevention and treatment of high myopia. This is the first myopia gene verified by gene mutation knock-in mouse model, which has attracted great attention in the world. This discovery also means that the pathogenesis and prevention of early-onset high myopia patients have entered a new era.