Preserving photoreceptor cells following retinal injury: Inhibition of alternate complement pathway revealed

Retinal detachment can occur as a result of either blunt trauma or as a side effect of a variety of ophthalmic diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, ocular tumors, and age-related macular degeneration.  There is a significant increase in the immune system’s ‘alternative complement pathway’ following retinal detachment, researchers report, adding that this pathway facilitated early photoreceptor cell death after injury. Additionally, by blocking the alternative complement pathway, through both genetic and pharmacologic means, photoreceptors were protected from cell death.

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