Saving Axons and Somas
Could the CaMKII enzyme help preserve vision in patients with retinal disease and eye injuries?
A recent study by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA, looked at retinal ganglion cells degeneration caused by retinal disorder or injury, with a hope of finding treatments capable of preventing vision loss from optic nerve damage, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma (1). Scientists are hoping to use a key enzyme, called CaMKII – which has, for the first time, been shown to regulate the survival of retinal ganglion cells in the retina, whether normal or diseased – as a target for gene therapy aimed at preserving the axons and somas in retinal ganglion cells. So far, gene therapy has been used in animal models, where a more active type of CaMKII was introduced into the original retinal ganglion cells to boost their activity, regulating the cells’ survival across many different pathologies.
- Z Guo et al., Cell, 184, 4299 (2021). PMID: 34297923.
Having edited several technical publications over the last decade, I crossed paths with quite a few of Texere's current team members, and I only ever heard them sing the company's praises. When an opportunity arose to join Texere, I jumped at the chance! With a background in literature, I love the company's ethos of producing genuinely engaging content, and the fact that it is so well received by our readers makes it even more rewarding.
