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Researchers identify protein related to glaucoma
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Researchers at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute found that a specific protein was present in eyes before the development of glaucoma, according to a press release recently issued by the hospital.
As detailed in the release, researchers discovered that the protein, cochlin, increased before patients experienced a rise in intraocular pressure.
“The ability to detect and quantify cochlin in the local tissues of the eye prior to clinical detection of the disease offers potential diagnostic and prognostic value,” Sanjoy K. Bhattacharya, PhD, MTech, one of the researchers involved in the study, said in the release. “This discovery paves the way for physicians and researchers to record levels of protein and lipid biomarkers in the eyes for progressive blinding eye diseases such as glaucoma.”
Bhattacharya and colleagues shared their research in the online edition of Scientific Report last month, according to the release.
As detailed in the release, their research has been funded by National Institutes of Health grants and utilizes a specialized optical coherence tomography instrument that allows the researchers to measure cochlin levels.