Scientists at Medical College of Georgia Explore New Treatment Target for Diabetic Retinopathy

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University are on a mission to find a new treatment target for diabetic retinopathy. 

With a $1.5 million grant from the National Eye Institute, vascular and endothelial biologist Shruti Sharma, PhD, and a team from the MCG Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine, are focusing their efforts on Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a protein with wide-ranging effects on immunity and inflammation in the body.

“We believe that IL-6 could play a critical role in the progression of diabetic retinopathy,” Dr. Sharma said in a university news release. “By better understanding how this protein contributes to the disease, we hope to identify a new pathway for treatment, potentially providing an option for patients who don’t respond to current therapies.”

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