Potential new treatment for diabetic retinopathy

Researchers at University of Utah Health identified the role the protein, ARF6, plays after studies were conducted in rodents treated to simulate DR.They were then able to use a compound called NAV-2729 to inhibit the protein and in the process reduce vessel leakage and the overgrowth of blood vessels.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: ARF6 acts like a traffic cop at a busy intersection within a cell. It orchestrates multiple inflammatory signals that contribute to inflammation common in many diseases. -WHO:Dr Dean Li, Researchers at University of Utah Health}}“ARF6 acts like a traffic cop at a busy intersection within a cell. It orchestrates multiple inflammatory signals that contribute to inflammation common in many diseases, including diabetic eye disease,” study co-author Dr Dean Li said.While around 40% of patients with DR can currently be treated with regular anti-VEGF injections, the results of the study suggest ARF6 could be a real alternative in the future.According to the study, injections of NAV-2729 into the eyes of diabetic mice were more effective in reducing blood vessel leakage than anti-VEGF injections.Aside from this potential new treatment, the researchers identified two proteins – GEP100 and ARNO – that play a critical role in the signalling process. These proteins activate ARF6 at two different locations in the cell to continue the signalling cycle.“These results are important because they identified a mechanism by which ARF6 controls VEGF receptor signalling and therefore may have much broader implications, extending to other diseases that involve VEGF receptor activation, such as cancer,” said Associate Professor Shannon Odelberg.According to Odelberg, ARNO activates ARF6, which shuttles the VEGF receptor into the cell where its signal can be amplified. Meanwhile, GEP100 activates ARF6 to recycle the VEGF receptor back to the outside of the cell where it can be reactivated for the signalling process to begin again.This signalling loop triggers disease by increasing blood vessel leak and the formation of new and weak blood vessels, and the team plan to explore the role of ARF6 in other inflammatory diseases.