Alexandra is studying the role of insulin during eye growth in the different compartments of the eye in chicks. She is going to quantify the amount of insulin, insulin receptor, insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor I receptor expression in control chicks as well as in plus or minus lens treated animals. The cellular localization and regulation of these compounds will be studied by in situ hybridization studies and immunohistochemistry. Recent studies in chicks have already shown that glucagon, a rare neuropeptide in the retina, may act as a stop signal for eye growth. Alexandra is going to look for interaction between the insulin and glucagon signalling cascades.