Using an antibody to block the action of a protein called SDF-1 prevented blindness in mice with a condition similar to retinopathy in humans, says a University of Florida study in the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.Retinopathy -- characterized by rampant blood vessel growth in the eyes -- is a complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness in working-age Americans. Diabetic retinopathy results in 12,000 to 24,000 cases of blindness in the United States each year, says the American Diabetes Association.This study is the first to describe a link between SDF-1 and retinopathy. It also describes how the researchers injected an SDF-1 antibody into the eyes of the afflicted mice to silence SDF-1’s signaling to blood stem cells.
