Diabetic retinopathy research leads to unexpected finding

Anti-TGF-β therapies have been studied as a way of preventing damage from diabetes after previous studies had confirmed elevated levels of TGF-β in diabetic retinal blood vessels, however, findings the Schepens Eye Research Institute suggest the protein has actually been protecting blood vessels within the eye.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: We found that increased TGF-beta is really defending the vessels in the retina, -WHO:Dr Mara Lorenzi, Board Certified pathologist in Boston, Massachusetts}}The study, published in The American Journal of Pathology, found that inhibiting the effects of TGF-β may even accelerate retinopathy in diabetic patients.This is because, as study author Dr Mara Lorenzi explained, when TGF-beta levels were reduced it caused damage to the retinal vessels of mice.“We found that increased TGF-beta is really defending the vessels in the retina,” Lorenzi said, adding that “based on this finding, we’d now like to know if a little extra TGF-beta will help protect the retinal vessels in patients with diabetes.”As a result, Lorenzi and her team said identifying drugs that increase the signaling of TGF-beta in a controlled manner could prevent or delay diabetic retinopathy.