A University of Minnesota Medical School research team has secured a four-year, $2.2 million grant from the National Eye Institute to study the causes of retinal diseases and identify potential new treatments.

The project, led by John Hulleman, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences, will focus on age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Doyne honeycomb retinal dystrophy/Malattia Leventinese, a rare inherited retinal disease.

Researchers will examine fibulin-3, an extracellular matrix protein found outside cells. Alterations in this protein are linked to several blinding eye diseases, and the team aims to develop tools to better understand its role in disease development.

“This project will positively impact our knowledge of an important protein that resides outside of cells, called an extracellular matrix protein,” Hulleman said. “Our research aims to develop additional tools to better understand fibulin-3 and provide potential therapeutics to prevent eye diseases associated with this protein.”

The team will test FDA-approved drugs aimed at reducing AMD symptoms, explore how extracellular matrix proteins produced by the retina contribute to disease, and identify mechanisms the body uses to regulate the production and elimination of selected retinal proteins.

The study is already underway. The grant number is 2R01EY027785-07A1.

AMD is a leading cause of vision loss, while Doyne honeycomb retinal dystrophy/Malattia Leventinese is a rarer retinal disorder. The researchers hope the work will support the development of tractable therapies for patients affected by these conditions.

Source: University of Minnesota.