Blindness is mainly caused by macular oedema put many people at risk in a wide range of diseases from diabetes to retinitis pigmentosa, which is the part of retina that is responsible for reading and driving vision.
Macular Disease Foundation Australia explores potential treatments for macular oedema to reduce the risk of blindness by blocking the modified cytokine action.
Professor Justine Smith, Matthew Flinders Distinguished Professor, has been awarded a $300,000 research grant from Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA), including co-investment from the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University, to investigate the possibility of treating macular oedema by blocking the actions of molecules called ‘cytokines’.
‘Blindness tackled by available drugs.’
The researchers were investigating to explore the possibility of treating macular oedema by using drugs involving molecules like cytokines for other disease rather than eyes.
This study is considered to be a milestone in 10 years of significant advances in the search for a cure to Australia’s leading cause of blindness to reduce the incidence and impact of macular disease.
Source: Medindia
