eyecro co-authors paper in Molecular and Cellular Biology studying mechanisms leading to Diabetic Retinopathy

ByConnor Hodde

Serum retinol-binding protein (RBP4) is the sole specific transport protein for retinol in the blood, but it is also an adipokine with retinol-independent, pro-inflammatory activity associated with obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.  Here we show that RBP4-Tg mice develop progressive retinal degeneration, characterized by photoreceptor ribbon synapse deficiency and subsequent bipolar cell loss.  These findings suggest that serum RBP4 elevation could be a risk factor for retinal damage and vision loss in non-diabetic as well as diabetic patients.

Read the entire article here.

Similar Posts

RetroSense Granted Orphan Drug Designation for Retinitis Pigmentosa

ByConnor Hodde

RetroSense Therapeutics, LLC, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug designation for the Company’s lead product RST-001 for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition which leads to the progressive degeneration of rod and cone photoreceptors (cells found in…

eyecro’s First Published Article in Molecular and Cellular Biology

ByConnor Hodde

Retinol-Binding Protein 4 Induces Inflammation in Human Endothelial Cells by a NADPH Oxidase- and Nuclear Factor Kappa B-dependent and Retinol-Independent Mechanism  Krysten M. Farjoa,#,    Rafal A. Farjob,    Stacey Halseya,    Gennadiy Moiseyeva and    Jian-xing Maa  aDepartment of Physiology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma beyecro LLC, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma ABSTRACT Serum retinol-binding protein…

Cause of inflammation in diabetes identified

ByConnor Hodde

Inflammation is one of the main reasons why people with diabetes experience heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems and other, related complications. Now, in a surprise finding, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a possible trigger of chronic inflammation.  Through a series of experiments in the animals and in cell…

Fat gives nanoparticles a fighting chance

ByConnor Hodde

Inhalable and thermo-responsive, fat-encased nanoparticles have been developed by researchers at the University of Sydney as possible treatment for lung cancer. The team has recently designed inhalable, targetable particles that can attack tumors but leave healthy cells undamaged, reducing the side effects of cancer treatment. The particles consist of a drug encased in a lipid…

Telemedicine Doubles Screening Rates for Retinopathy

ByConnor Hodde

  The use of telemedicine helped a primary care clinic more than double the percentage of diabetic patients undergoing screening for retinopathy over the course of a year, according to a research letter published this month in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The researchers, based out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,…