Researchers have found an experimental compound that blocks growth of abnormal blood vessels associated with diabetic vision loss.

A molecule called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) triggers the growth of abnormal blood vessels from the retina. These leak and cause scarring and are a major factor in diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that leads to loss of vision. VEGF is also known to play a role in age-related macular degeneration, the major cause of blindness in older people.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute report that they have developed a molecule called VEGF-TRAP, which is a protein for injection, that can block VEGF. It was found to arrest the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retinas of laboratory mice. Further research may produce a treatment that diabetics could inject - not necessarily into the eye, but into the circulation - as they do insulin in order to preserve their vision. The treatment may also help with age-related macular degeneration.

Source

Journal of Cellular Physiology June 2003