Dr Jessica Mountford

Dr Jessica Mountford is an early career research fellow that joined the Lions Eye Institute in February 2021 as a Brian King Fellow. Her research interests include investigating the role of both genetics and environmental factors in the development of early-onset myopia. Jessica has a specific interest in determining what effect long-term educational lockdowns, as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, will have on the prevalence rates of juvenile myopia, both domestically and abroad.

Prior to commencing this position, Jessica completed two post-doctoral positions at the University of Western Australia where she researched the genetic variants associated with myopia; the evolution of colour-vision and the visual and non-visual opsin expression in vertebrates. Jessica has a multidisciplinary background, with her PhD being awarded through Monash University in the field of clinical haematology, her research background includes virology, biochemistry and molecular biology.

Education/academic qualifications/roles responsibilities

Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), Monash University
Bachelor of Science (Honours), Monash University
Bachelor of Science, Monash University

Awards/Professional achievements

2012 – Highly ranked (Top 5%) PhD Thesis, Melbourne.
2011 – Student Oral Prize Session, ASCEPT, Melbourne.
2007 – First in class in BSc (Hons) cohort of 2007 (H1).
2007 – Present Member of Golden Key International Honour Society.

Grants/scholarships/funding overview

2021 – Awarded a Brian King Fellowship, Lions Save-Sight Foundation.
2012 – Australian Vascular Biology Society travel scholarship.
2011 – Travel Grant, Australasian Society of Clinical & Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (ASCEPT).
2008 – 2012 Australian Postgraduate Award.
2006 – 2007 Firkin Award (Summer Scholarship Award of the ACBD).

Research Activity

Dr Mountford recently relocated to Perth after living a number of years back in her hometown of Melbourne. It was here, during lockdown, that she proposed her latest research project: The Myopia Generation- Exploring the rise of early-onset myopia following the digital age and a world post COVID-19 lockdown. Jessica’s research aims to elucidate the interplay between genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as near-work in the development of early-onset or juvenile myopia in school aged children. The World Health Organisation has predicted that approximately 50% of the global population will develop myopia by the year 2050.

Furthermore, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries and all continents, and therefore is predicted to contribute heavily to the rapid rise of early-onset myopia. Although there has been considerable progress in slowing the progression of myopia the exact fundamental mechanism/s by which it occurs remains unknown, Jessica’s work aims to reveal these mechanisms.

Leading Publications

Vision using multiple distinct rod opsins in deep-sea fishes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6628886/
Differential stability of variant OPN1LW gene transcripts in myopic patients: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6441357/
The Role of the Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Proteins Kv8.2 and Kv2.1 in Vision and Retinal Disease: Insights from the Study of Mouse Gene Knock-Out Mutations: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6393689/
Pushing the limits of photoreception in twilight conditions: The rod-like cone retina of the deep-sea pearlsides: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5677336/
The genetic and evolutionary drives behind primate color vision: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2017.00034/full
Visual pigments in a palaeognath bird, the emu Dromaius novaehollandiae: Implications for spectral sensitivity and the origin of ultraviolet vision: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4947894/
Combined deficiency of PI3KC2a and PI3KC2b reveals a non-redundant role for PI3KC2a in regulating mouse platelet structure and thrombus stability: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/09537104.2016.1145202
The Class II PI 3-kinase, PI3KC2a, links platelet internal membrane structure to shear-dependent adhesive function: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms7535
Safety and efficacy of targeting platelet protease-activated receptors in combination with existing anti-platelet drugs as antithrombotics in mice: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3402781/
Atherosclerosis proceeds independently of thrombin-induced platelet activation in ApoE-/- mice: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717183/