Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Regional Partnership Program - Newfoundland and Labrador

During aging, vision loss is a devastating problem that greatly impacts upon the quality of life and the maintenance of functional autonomy. Both proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are the leading causes of blindness in aging populations. Both diseases involve the overgrowth of blood vessels in the retinal tissue of the eye. New therapies are needed to prevent and improve treatment of these age-related retinal diseases. We discovered Tubedown, a factor present in healthy retinal blood vessels but reduced during retinal aging and during overgrowth of retinal blood vessels. Using laboratory mice, we have found that loss of Tubedown from retinal blood vessels is an important predisposing factor for the progression of experimental retinopathy which mimics several of the hallmarks of human AMD and PDR. This project will examine the involvement and importance of potential effectors of Tubedown in retinal blood vessels during aging and during overgrowth of retinal blood vessels in existing mouse models and human specimens. We will also examine how Tubedown effectors can be targeted for the treatment of age-related retinal disease in mouse models. Manipulation of Tubedown effectors in retinal blood vessels may provide a new and specific therapeutic approach for preventing and treating age-related retinal diseases such as AMD.