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Quark Biotech Announces Discovery of Novel Target for Treatment of Ischemia-induced Retinopathy
"Quark Biotech Announces Discovery of Novel Target for Treatment of Ischemia-induced Retinopathy" (29 November 2004, PRNewsWire)
Leading text: "Quark Biotech, Inc. announced today the discovery and validation of a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ischemia-induced retinopathy, a group of diseases that are the major cause of blindness worldwide, including diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity and retinal vein occlusion. The discovery was published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Volume 45 (10), pp 3796-3805.
In the study, a gene identified by Quark, RTP801, was knocked out in an animal model of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ROP is blinding disease that affects prematurely born babies. The ROP animal model is a well-known model of ischemia-induced retinopathy. Due to the absence of RTP801 expression in the
knock-out animal model, the development of retinopathy was attenuated, thus implicating the gene in the pathogenesis of the disease.
ROP and diabetic retinopathy are caused by diverse processes that lead to retinal ischemia, a condition in which the blood flow, and thus oxygen, is restricted in the retina. Reduced oxygen induces the formation of
morphologically abnormal vessels, (neovascularization), as well as neuronal death (apoptosis) in a layer of the retina, causing retinal degeneration. The retinal disease that develops in the model of ROP combines many features that characterize both ROP and diabetic retinopathy, such as retinal vaso-obliteration, neovascularization and neuroretina apoptosis. The RTP801 knockout-mice clearly demonstrated a significant attenuation of all these features, indicating that RTP801 may be a novel therapeutic target for treatment of these conditions.
"Proliferative diabetic retinopathy, with its major risk of vision loss, is believed to be secondary to ischemia, lack of oxygen or blood flow in the retina," commented Dr. Feinstein, Vice President Technology of Quark and
author of the study.
Leading text: "Quark Biotech, Inc. announced today the discovery and validation of a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of ischemia-induced retinopathy, a group of diseases that are the major cause of blindness worldwide, including diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity and retinal vein occlusion. The discovery was published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Volume 45 (10), pp 3796-3805.
In the study, a gene identified by Quark, RTP801, was knocked out in an animal model of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). ROP is blinding disease that affects prematurely born babies. The ROP animal model is a well-known model of ischemia-induced retinopathy. Due to the absence of RTP801 expression in the
knock-out animal model, the development of retinopathy was attenuated, thus implicating the gene in the pathogenesis of the disease.
ROP and diabetic retinopathy are caused by diverse processes that lead to retinal ischemia, a condition in which the blood flow, and thus oxygen, is restricted in the retina. Reduced oxygen induces the formation of
morphologically abnormal vessels, (neovascularization), as well as neuronal death (apoptosis) in a layer of the retina, causing retinal degeneration. The retinal disease that develops in the model of ROP combines many features that characterize both ROP and diabetic retinopathy, such as retinal vaso-obliteration, neovascularization and neuroretina apoptosis. The RTP801 knockout-mice clearly demonstrated a significant attenuation of all these features, indicating that RTP801 may be a novel therapeutic target for treatment of these conditions.
"Proliferative diabetic retinopathy, with its major risk of vision loss, is believed to be secondary to ischemia, lack of oxygen or blood flow in the retina," commented Dr. Feinstein, Vice President Technology of Quark and
author of the study.
posted by Dr.Koudinov @ 24.12.04
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