Glaucoma develops earlier than previously thought

Professor Iqbal Ahmad, from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), and his team have traced the probl to the early stages of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) generation.{{quote-A:R-W:470-I:2-Q:“There are several forms of glaucoma but all have two things in common – the progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and the irreversible loss of vision,”-WHO:Iqbal Ahmad, Professor in the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)}}“There are several forms of glaucoma but all have two things in common – the progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and the irreversible loss of vision,” Ahmad explains.However, as glaucoma is generally a late onset disease and RGCs are formed during gestation, Ahmad’s team had to find a way to study the degeneration process, which they hypothesised was because of a developmental abnormality.In order to do this, they developed a pluripotent st cell-based model of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) to understand how RGCs degenerate.According to Ahmad, the RGC st cells from the test models were different from those taken from healthy donors; they were weaker and smaller. He added that knowing the molecular basis of the defect and its biomarkers would allow early diagnosis and treatment.“We are excited, as it is an important first step toward early diagnosis and treatment of this debilitating disease,” Ahmad said.