Scientists in Japan have developed a new mRNA vaccine that could one day make it easier and more comfortable to treat a common cause of vision loss in older adults.
The vaccine has shown strong effects in mice and may offer an alternative to the regular and painful eye injections currently used to treat the condition.
The condition is called age-related macular degeneration, or AMD for short. It affects about 200 million people worldwide, mostly those over the age of 60.
There are two types of AMD: dry and wet. Wet AMD is the more serious form and happens when abnormal blood vessels grow in the eye, a process called neovascularization. These vessels leak fluid and damage the retina, leading to vision loss if not treated in time.
Today, the main way to manage wet AMD is with injections of drugs directly into the eye. These drugs stop the growth of new blood vessels. However, the treatment is uncomfortable, must be done regularly, and doesn’t work for everyone.
Researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo and Yokohama City University have created a new mRNA vaccine that can be given through a normal muscle shot in the arm. It works by telling the body to produce antibodies that block a protein called LRG1.
This protein encourages the growth of the abnormal blood vessels seen in AMD. By targeting LRG1, the vaccine helps prevent further damage to the eye.
In tests with mice, the scientists gave two muscle injections 14 days apart. The vaccine triggered a strong immune response, reducing blood vessel leaks in the retina.
In one mouse model, the leakage dropped by 85% and the lesion size by 82% after three weeks. In another model that naturally develops the disease, the lesion size dropped by 55% after four weeks.
One of the most exciting parts of the study is that the vaccine seemed safe. It didn’t harm normal blood vessels or damage healthy eye tissue. It also didn’t cause harmful immune reactions in other parts of the body. Best of all, its effectiveness was similar to the standard anti-VEGF drugs now used for AMD, but without the need for injections into the eye.
Professor Satoshi Uchida, who led the study, said that the idea was inspired by the success of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. He believes this technology could go beyond infectious diseases and help treat chronic conditions like AMD. This is the first time an mRNA vaccine has been shown to work against abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye.
If this treatment proves successful in people, it could be a major breakthrough. Patients with AMD might one day receive a simple shot in the arm instead of frequent and painful eye injections. That could make the treatment much easier, safer, and more pleasant for millions of people around the world.
The study was published in the journal Vaccine.
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