Health scientists from the University of Virginia have found a previously unknown contributor to harmful blood vessel growth in the eye. This discovery can help address the formation of abnormal tangles of blood vessels, which are associated with various eye conditions like neovascular age-related macular degeneration, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and ischemic retinal vein occlusion.
UVA’s Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati and Shao-bin Wang and their colleagues identified a key protein that determines vascular endothelial growth factor-A, or VEGF, levels, which contributes to abnormal blood vessel overgrowth in excessive amounts. When this protein was blocked in lab mice, it reduced VEGF levels in a specific manner, and the scientists observed no toxic effects on the retina where the vessel overgrowth occurred.
Why the discovery matters
There are existing treatments that target VEGF to prevent blood vessel overgrowth, which provide great benefits at first. However, they eventually fade over time, necessitating better and lasting treatments to prevent vision loss. This discovery sheds light on how ocular immune cells, such as macrophages, contribute to abnormal blood vessel growth under the retina—a question the team has been working to answer for 20 years. It’s a promising development for those at risk of eye conditions related to blood vessel overgrowth…