The ONCE and the University Hospital 12 de Octubre announce the development of a revolutionary treatment for vision loss in patients with dominant optic atrophy, a type of optic neuropathy. This innovative initiative uses nanoparticles called exosomes as vehicles to transport antioxidant drugs that protect the retinal ganglion cells, mitigating the damage caused by oxygen free radicals.
Dr. Esther Gallardo, director of the Translational Research Group with iPS Cells at the Research Institute of Hospital 12 de Octubre i+12 and principal investigator of the project, highlights: "Although there is no treatment for dominant optic atrophy today, recent studies indicate that oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathophysiology that leads to the loss of retinal ganglion cells. Exosomes derived from stem cells have the ability to mitigate these injuries, acting as antioxidants."
The project will use iPS cells to create a model of retinal ganglion cells, to which antioxidant-loaded exosomes will be added. The goal is to analyze their possible therapeutic effect in vitro. This advance represents an important step towards the prevention of blindness and the development of effective therapies for people with visual impairment.
