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Breakthroughs in Diabetic Retinopathy

Steven Abcouwer, Ph.D., and Patrice Fort, Ph.D., were awarded an R01 grant by the NIH for their studies of novel aspects of retinal physiology and function that are important in the early retinal changes caused by diabetes. Their team’s studies examine how and why ganglion cells—the retinal neurons that send vision signals to the brain—exhibit a very high rate of protein synthesis, and how and why this is negatively affected by diabetes.

Patrice Fort, Ph.D.

An early manifestation of diabetic retinopathy is called diabetic retinal neuropathy, which damages and causes the slow death of ganglion cells. It has long been known that the retinal neurons that detect light, called photoreceptors, exhibit a high metabolism including rapid production of proteins. “However, until our recent work, it was unknown that the rate of protein production is even higher in the ganglion cells,” says Dr. Abcouwer. “We also demonstrated that reduction of this rate of protein synthesis in ganglion cells is an early indicator of the effect of diabetes, which may explain why these cells are damaged in diabetes.”

These studies by Dr. Abcouwer and Dr. Fort and their research team are expected to significantly augment knowledge of retinal physiology and lead to treatments that will both prevent diabetic retinal neuropathy and reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy.

Steven Abcouwer, Ph.D.

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