Link between retinopathy and protein found in mice

A common cellular protein has been linked to progression of diabetic retinopathy in a mouse model, according to a group of researchers.

Jason M. Butler and colleagues at the University of Florida used a common antibody to block the formation of vitreal stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in the eyes of mice with simulated retinopathy, according to a press release from the school. The researchers “effectively silenced SDF-1’s signal to activate normally helpful blood stem cells,” the release said.

Prior to the mouse study, the researchers had analyzed samples of vitreous gel from 46 patients undergoing treatment for diabetic eye disease, including 24 with retinopathy. The eyes of patients with the most severe disease had the highest rates of SDF-1, according to the press release. No traces of the protein were found in eight eyes of patients without diabetes.

This led them to the hypothesis that SDF-1 was associated with diabetic retinopathy, which in turn led to the mouse study.

The study is published in the January issue of Journal of Clinical Investigation.