Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in working age adults. The lipids we eat play a crucial role in the development of abnormal blood vessels and the protection of neurons in the retina of diabetic patients. We showed previously that a diet rich in omega 3-fatty acids is protective against the development of these abnormal retinal vessels by decreasing inflammation in the retina. However, the enzymes that process essential lipids (such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) and their active products have not been thoroughly investigated. This grant aims to identify specific lipid products of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that mediate or prevent the vascular and neuronal damage observed in the diabetic retina. To unravel this important problem, we are using transgenic mice that lack the key enzymes involved in the processing of essential fatty acids and subject them to a model of diabetic retinopathy. Their retinal vessels and neurons are examined, as well as their lipid profile using advanced lipid analysis tools. This research has immediate clinical implications since drugs affecting these lipid enzymes are in use or in clinical trials and may inadvertently influence retinopathy in diabetic patients. Selective drug targets will be identified to induce or enhance the beneficial effects observed with an omega-3 fatty acid replete diet.