“I cannot imagine, without the machine (Odyssey® CLx Imager) in our lab, we cannot do anything.” – Dr. Min Hyung Kang
Dr. Min Hyung Kang and his lab at Case Western Reserve University are studying the causative mechanisms for glaucoma. Their focus is on primary open-angle glaucoma which is believed to be caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). This elevated pressure pushes against the optic nerve and can eventually lead to blindness.
He and his lab are investigating the role of the matricellular protein Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC) in elevating IOP. They’ve observed a relationship between extracellular matrix (ECM) protein upregulation and the trabecular meshwork becoming blocked, which may prevent the aqueous humor from draining.
This blockage is suspected to be the result of an accumulation of ECM proteins in the trabecular meshwork. His lab has been evaluating how SPARC regulates “the ECM levels in the human eyes. Especially, in the trabecular meshwork, where the outflow happens.”
Often Used and Always Appreciated
Dr. Kang’s research involves performing quantitative Western blots on a daily basis. He estimates that his lab gets 80 percent or more of their data from Western blotting. For the past 10 years, Dr. Kang has chosen the Odyssey CLx Imaging System as his preferred imager.
Using the Odyssey CLx Imager helps Dr. Kang maintain confidence in his data because “it’s very consistent.” When he moved to his lab at Case Western Reserve University in 2013, he specifically requested an Odyssey CLx Imager based on his prior experience. Since then, he has convinced at least one other lab to make the switch after letting them try out his machine.
Dr. Kang has moved to exclusively using the Odyssey CLx Imager for his Western blot experiments. He prefers this imaging system because it saves him time. He loves that using the Odyssey CLx seems to give him back extra hours every day, while acquiring the highest quality images. Then in Image Studio™ Software, he can quantify band intensity. There’s no need for him to run back and forth to the darkroom, meticulously tracking exposure times, to get the image just right.
“If you use the x-ray film, we have measured the time, 30 seconds, one minute, or five minutes, to get the best images. With this machine, I don’t have to. Just scan it.”
If you ask Dr. Kang where the darkroom for his lab is, he isn’t sure his department has one anymore because he hasn’t needed to use the darkroom. Dr. Kang made his feelings clear about chemiluminescent Western blots, in stating: “I don’t want to go back to that.” That may explain why he no longer performs any chemiluminescent Western blots at all.
We thank Dr. Kang for his contributions to science and are proud to call him an Odyssey CLx Expert.
Publications resulting from work on the Odyssey CLx Imaging System
- Kang, M.H., Oh, D.J., and Rhee, D.J. (2011). Effect of Hevin Deletion in Mice and Characterization in Trabecular Meshwork. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vol. 52, 2187-2193. doi: 10.1167/iovs.10-5428.
- Villareal, G. Jr., Oh, D.J., Kang, M.H., and Rhee, D.J. (2011). Coordinated Regulation of Extracellular Matrix Synthesis by the MicroRNA-29 Family in the Trabecular Meshwork. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vol. 52, 3391-3397. doi: 10.1167/iovs.10-6165.
- Haddadin, R.I., Oh, D.J., Kang, M.H., Villareal, G. Jr., Kang, J., Jin, R., Gong, H., and Rhee, D.J. (2012). Thrombospondin-1 (TSP1)-Null and TSP2-Null Mice Exhibit Lower Intraocular Pressures. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vol. 53, 6708-6717. doi: 10.1167/iovs.11-9013.
- Kang, M.H., Oh, D.J., Kang, J., and Rhee, D.J. (2013). Regulation of SPARC by Transforming Growth Factor β2 in Human Trabecular Meshwork. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vol. 54, 2523-2532. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-11474.
- Oh, D.J., Kang, M.H., Ooi, Y.H., Choi, K.R., Sage, E.H., and Rhee, D.J. (2013). Overexpression of SPARC in Human Trabecular Meshwork Increases Intraocular Pressure and Alters Extracellular Matrix. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vol. 54, 3309-3319. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-11362.
- Keller, K.E., Vranka, J.A., Haddadin, R.I., Kang, M.H., Oh, D.J., Rhee, D.J., Yang, Y., Sun, Y.Y., Kelley, M.J., and Acott, T.S. (2013). The Effects of Tenascin C Knockdown on Trabecular Meshwork Outflow Resistance. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vol. 54, 5163-5623. doi: 10.1167/iovs.13-11620.
- Chatterjee, A., Villareal, G. Jr., Oh, D.J., Kang, M.H., and Rhee, D.J. (2014). AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Regulates Intraocular Pressure, Extracellular Matrix, and Cytoskeleton in Trabecular Meshwork. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vol. 55, 3127-3139. doi: 10.1167/iovs.13-12755.
- Villareal, G. Jr., Chatterjee, A., Oh, S.S., Oh, D.J., Kang, M.H., and Rhee, D.J. (2014). Canonical Wnt Signaling Regulates Extracellular Matrix Expression in the Trabecular Meshwork. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. Vol 55, 7433-7440. doi: 10.1167/iovs.13-12652.