Target for cataract treatment
Breakthrough discovery will allow cataract treatment without surgery
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
As a result of ten years of research, scientists have discovered the key factors for the proper functioning of the lens. By influencing them, they plan to develop effective drug therapy. For patients with developing and progressive cataracts, this means a revolution in the treatment of severe illness.
Cataract remains one of the leading causes of blindness. Clouding of the lens develops gradually, impairing the quality of vision. The progressive stage of the disease is currently treated only surgically – by installing an artificial lens substitute, but therapy is not available to everyone. For more than ten years, scientists have been investigating the complex mechanisms of the disease and made a breakthrough discovery in its nature, according to a press release from Anglia Ruskin University New research may revolutionise cataract treatment.
Article by Wang et al. Aquaporins Have Regional Functions in the Development of a Refractive Index in the Zebrafish Eye Lens published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science – VM.
Firstly, scientists have found out that the disease begins to develop much earlier than is commonly believed.
And secondly, they found that aquaporin proteins are involved in the development of the disease – membrane proteins of the lens fibers that regulate fluid outflow and adhesion.
"Our results indicate the role of aquaporin proteins, which are crucial for the proper functioning of the lens and clear vision," commented the author of the work Barbara Pirshenek.
The discovery points to the possibility of developing drug therapy for cataracts that could revolutionize the treatment of this serious disease, she added.
Currently, many patients do not have the opportunity or indications for surgical intervention, so the development of drugs can solve the existing problem of inaccessibility of surgery for hundreds of thousands of patients. There is still a lot of research work to be done, but scientists plan to make medicines simple and affordable. It is possible that these will be pills or eye drops.
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