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University of Virginia scientists have discovered a previously unknown factor that contributes to harmful blood vessel growth in the eye, which could lead to new treatments for macular degeneration and other common causes of vision loss.
In detail, Professor Jayakrishna Ambati and his colleagues have come up with a new reason to prevent the formation of abnormal tangles in blood vessels associated with eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, proliferative diabetes, retinopathy and ischemic retinal vein occlusion, according to Neuroscience News.
Abnormal blood vessels
“The new study opens up the possibility of mitigating abnormal blood vessel development in eye diseases by targeting the epigenetic mechanism,” said Ambati, founding director of the Center for Advanced Vision Sciences and a member of the University of Virginia’s Department of Ophthalmology.
He also explained, “By local targeting of the epigenetic regulator, a deeper understanding of how ocular immune cells cause a loss of control over the growth of subretinal blood vessels has been gained.”
“The new approach also offers an innovative direction for developing more effective, cost-effective and accessible interventions, thereby avoiding issues such as drug resistance that are a growing concern with conventional anti-VEGF therapies used in clinical therapies,” he added.
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important round
The scientists found that the overgrowth of blood vessels in the eye is fueled by excessive amounts of a substance called vascular endothelial growth factor A, commonly referred to as VEGF, which plays an important role in angiogenesis.
While therapies that target VEGF to prevent overgrowth of blood vessels are now available, they often provide significant benefits initially. Unfortunately, these benefits can wane over time, making better treatments urgently needed to help preserve patients’ eyesight.
Without side effects
The new research, led by Ambati and colleague Professor Shao Bin Wang, also showed that blocking a key protein that determines VEGF levels in laboratory mice significantly reduced VEGF levels, without unwanted side effects.
The team of scientists noted, for example, that there were no toxic effects on the retina, which is the light-sensing part of the eye and where the overgrowth of blood vessels occurs.
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Exciting find
In this context, Ambati explained, “lipid mass and obesity-related protein (FTO) were previously associated with obesity in humans. Unexpectedly, they were also found to play important roles in regulating ocular angiogenesis through an epigenetic mechanism.”
“This exciting discovery finally answers a long-standing question about how ocular immune cells, such as macrophages, contribute to the abnormal growth of subretinal blood vessels,” he said.
promising goal
He also added that he and his colleagues began their research 20 years ago, and are pleased to have reached positive results that are likely to lead to identifying a promising target for developing new treatments for vision loss, in addition to being shed important light on the basic mechanisms responsible for the overgrowth of blood vessels that deprive millions of people of their sight. .
It is indicated that age-related macular degeneration alone affects more than 200 million people worldwide.
And while more research and testing will be needed before the new discovery can be translated into a treatment, the University of Virginia scientists are excited about the unprecedented strides that have been made. “VEGF protein levels are not ideal, so it is necessary to identify more targeted candidates for the development of alternative therapies.”