An exciting discovery by scientists at the University of Connecticut (UConn) could bring new hope to many people who are at risk of losing their sight. Here’s a simpler explanation of the research they’ve been doing, as reported in the May 2024 issue of a scientific journal called Experimental Neurology.
Sadly, over three million Americans suffer from eye problems that lead to loss of vision because of damage to the optic nerve, which is a crucial cable of cells that links the eyes to the brain. One of the main causes of such damage is a group of eye conditions known as glaucoma. These conditions mess with the fluid inside the eye, leading to harm to the optic nerve. Once the optic nerve is harmed, it can’t fix itself, and this results in permanent loss of sight.
But there’s good news! A group of UConn Medicine researchers, led by a scientist named Ephraim Trakhtenberg, have discovered that a special protein can kick-start the repair process for these damaged nerve cells. This protein, named Nfe3, is special because it’s found in the nerves that come from the part of the eye called the retina, but usually, adult nerve cells don’t make it.
Courtesy of UConn Health
Dr. Trakhtenberg and his team thought that this protein might have a specific job in helping nerves to grow. They tested their idea by treating mice that had optic nerve injuries with a type of gene therapy that increased the production of Nfe3. Their experiment showed that by doing this, the damaged optic nerve in these mice started to repair itself.
What’s even more exciting is that Nfe3 seems to be better than other treatments they’ve known before. Other treatments can sometimes cause swelling or even lead to cancer, but Nfe3 doesn’t seem to have these issues.
Dr. Trakhtenberg is excited about this discovery because it could not only help with eye conditions like glaucoma but also with other types of nerve damage. The next thing they want to check is whether these repairing nerve cells can make a complete connection back to the brain, which is important for getting sight back. If this works, Nfe3 might be used not just to fix damage but also to prevent vision loss from happening in the first place. And if this protein can repair the optic nerve, it might also help with other nerve-related injuries, like paralysis.
This finding could open new doors for treating and preventing vision loss, and it’s a bright spot of hope for many people dealing with these tough conditions.
See the original study at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014488624000670