Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy are two of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Scientists found that a drug which triggered Robo4 in mice was able to prevent damage caused by these two diseases.

AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly population, while the working population often loses sight due to diabetic retinopathy. Both diseases are characterized by the growth of abnormal blood vessels as well as leakage.

While there are drugs to treat both conditions, there is unfortunately no cure for them. At best these drugs, which cost the sky, can slow the progression of the disease and delay onset of blindness.

"We are excited about taking this opening and moving the frontier forward with real hope for patients who have but few, often disappointing options," said lead researcher of the current study Professor Randall Olson, director of John A Moran Eye Center at the Utah University.

Reporting in the journal Nature Medicine, the scientists said the mice were engineered to mimic the effects of diabetic retinopathy and AMD. They found that triggering Robo4 pathways prevented and in some cases reversed the damage caused by these two conditions.

The finding also holds out hope for treating cancers that thrive on growth of abnormal blood vessels.
 

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