NIH Study: Experimental Drug May Help Treat Condition May Help Treat Diabetic Retinopathy

A new National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study led by scientists at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers determined that low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, may promote a breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier, an important boundary that regulates the flow of nutrients, waste and water in and out of the retina.

According to Johns Hopkins, the research, which investigated the phenomenon in diabetic mice, provides insights into the origin of diabetic retinopathy, specifically in patients with episodes of hypoglycemia. 

The full study, published in Science Translational Medicine on April 30, explains that a specific protein known as hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) accumulates in certain cells in the retina during periods of low blood sugar. HIF has been implicated in diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases before. The protein can trigger a chain reaction, switching on overproduction of other proteins which lead to overgrowth and leakage of blood vessels in the retina. Now, scientists have found that HIF is a player in how the blood-retinal barrier breaks down during hypoglycemia.

Read the full Johns Hopkins article here.