Scientists from University College London (UCL) have made an important discovery that could help stop vision loss in people with diabetes before it begins.
They have identified a protein called LRG1 that appears to be the trigger for diabetic retinopathy, a serious eye condition that can lead to blindness.
This disease is caused by damage to the small blood vessels in the retina—the part of the eye that senses light—due to high blood sugar.
Until now, most treatments for diabetic retinopathy have focused on managing the condition only after vision starts to get worse.
But this new study, done in mice, shows that damage to the eye actually begins earlier than previously thought, and LRG1 plays a big role in starting this damage.
The results of the study were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, a special type of cell that wraps around the smallest blood vessels in the eye begins to tighten too much.
This squeezing limits the oxygen that gets to the retina, which starts the process that can eventually lead to vision loss. The UCL team discovered that the LRG1 protein is responsible for this harmful tightening.
When the researchers blocked the LRG1 protein in diabetic mice, they were able to prevent the early damage. The blood vessels stayed healthy, and the eyes continued to work normally. This is a big step forward, as it shows that stopping LRG1 could help protect people’s vision before serious problems begin.
Dr. Giulia De Rossi, the lead author of the study, explained, “Our research shows that diabetic eye disease begins sooner than we thought, and LRG1 is one of the first things that starts the damage. If we can block this protein, we might be able to protect people’s sight before they notice any symptoms.”
Diabetic retinopathy is common in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Right now, it’s usually treated only after vision problems like blurry or distorted sight appear. By that time, some of the damage is already permanent.
The current drugs used target a different protein called VEGF. However, these treatments only help about half of the patients and don’t usually fix damage that has already been done.
The exciting thing about this new research is that LRG1 seems to act earlier than VEGF, which means it might be possible to stop the disease before any vision is lost. The team at UCL has already created a drug that blocks LRG1.
This drug has passed early safety tests in the lab and is being prepared for human trials. The researchers believe it could work not just in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, but also in later stages, because LRG1 is still active throughout the disease.
Dr. Faye Riley from Diabetes UK said, “Around one in three adults with diabetes show signs of retinopathy. It’s one of the most feared complications. This new research gives hope that we can stop it before it starts.”
Professor John Greenwood, a co-author of the study, said that the findings offer powerful insight into how the disease starts and how to stop it. Professor Stephen Moss added that they already have a treatment ready to be tested in humans, and it could offer a new and much-needed option for patients.
In summary, this discovery could change how diabetic retinopathy is treated—from trying to fix the damage after it’s done, to preventing it altogether. Blocking LRG1 may become a new way to protect the sight of millions of people living with diabetes.
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The study is published in Science Translational Medicine.
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