Cell Rep: new findings help treat common eye diseases

February 22, 2020 / biourn / - recently, scientists at Trinity College Dublin made an important discovery to help solve common eye diseases (age-related macular degeneration, AMD) that lead to blindness They found that TLR2, a receptor that recognizes foreign infectious molecules in vivo, seems to play an important role in the development of retinal degeneration AMD is the most common form of central visual blindness in adults Aging is the biggest risk factor for AMD development, with one in four people over the age of 75 suffering from the disease So far, there is no drug intervention to prevent disease progress Current recommendations for patients with dry AMD are mainly lifestyle changes, such as stopping smoking and improving diet and exercise (photo source: www Pixabay Com) the author is Dr Sarah Doyle, assistant professor of immunology at Trinity, and the results are published in the latest cell reports "The main reason for the lack of an approved treatment for AMD is that the cause of the disease is not very clear Understanding and identifying early molecular features that may trigger dry AMD will enable us to develop more targeted therapies In this case, we believe that the regulation of TLR2 activity over time may help prevent the development of dry AMD " In this study, scientists identified TLR2 as a key bridge between oxidative damage and complement mediated retinal degeneration Once TLR2 is activated by a dangerous signal, it triggers a cascade of signals, which leads to inflammation "The function of TLR2 has not been reported in the pathology of retinal neurodegenerative diseases, but it may play an important role, because when we knock out TLR2 from the experimental model system, we will reduce the level of complement and produce the function of protecting cells." Information source: new discovery has important implications for treating common eye disease original source: Kelly mulbaul et al, total like receiver 2 facilities interactive damage induced retain generation, cell reports (2020) Doi: 10.1016/j.cellrep.2020.01.064