Discovery by University of Utah may prevent blindness

University of Utah researchers have found that activating a protein

that stabilizes blood vessels reverses diabetic retinopathy and

age-related macular degeneration — two common causes of blindness.

      They believe the treatment, which they tested in mice, may

portend good news for many other diseases as well that occur or worsen

because of vascular instability and leaky vessels.

      The study, which involved several institutions, was published Sunday in Nature Medicine online.

      While the research is several years from human use, the director

of the U.'s John A. Moran Eye Center, Dr. Randall J. Olson, called the

finding "historic" in a release about the study. Hemin Chin, director

of ocular genetics at the National Eye Institute, termed it "a major

scientific advancement."

      "All major eye diseases are caused by blood vessels that are

destabilized such that they leak or grow too much," said Dr. Dean Li,

the study's senior author, who is a physician, geneticist and professor

of internal medicine at the U. "The two major eye diseases that affect

the United States are diabetic eye disease and age-related macular

degeneration (AMD). The vessels start falling apart, leaking and

bleeding, and cause you to go blind."The newly discovered pathway antagonizes that process and the vessels

stabilize, offering hope for treatment, prevention and possibly a cure.

      Researchers activated a protein called Robo4 in mice in which

they had simulated the eye diseases. The Robo4 stopped abnormal blood

vessel growth and stabilized the vessels so they wouldn't leak — the