Scientists at UVA Health have uncovered a previously unknown factor that contributes to the harmful growth of blood vessels in the eye. This breakthrough could pave the way for new treatments for macular degeneration and other common causes of vision loss. Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, and Shao-bin Wan
Harmful blood vessel growth in the eye, also known as neovascularization, is a condition in which abnormal blood vessels form in the retina or the front part of the eye. This growth can lead to vision loss and even blindness if not treated promptly.have uncovered a previously unknown factor that contributes to the harmful growth of blood vessels in the eye. This breakthrough could pave the way for new treatments for macular degeneration and other common causes of vision loss.
Jayakrishna Ambati, MD, is the founding director of UVA’s Center for Advanced Vision Science and a member of the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology. Credit: UVA Health “Through local targeting of the epigenetic regulator, we have gained a deeper understanding of how ocular immune cells can cause a loss of control over blood vessel growth under the retina. This approach also offers a new direction for the development of more effective, cost-efficient, and accessible interventions, thereby avoiding issues such as drug resistance, which is a growing concern with conventional anti-VEGF therapies used in clinical treatments.
“This fat mass and obesity-associated protein was previously shown to be correlated with obesity in humans. Unexpectedly, we found it also play important roles in regulating ocular neovascularization through an epigenetic mechanism,” Ambati said. “This exciting discovery finally answers a longstanding question about how ocular immune cells, such as macrophages, contribute to abnormal blood vessel growth under the retina.
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