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Hitching a Ride Into the RetinaCreated: Jan 18th, 2012Researchers have successfully delivered steroids to the retina by attaching them to dendrimers, nanoparticles whose size, molecular weight and flexibility can be controlled during formation. This method targets cells associated with neuroinflammation, such as in the case of AMD or retinitis pigmentosa, leaving the rest of the eye unaffected and preserving vision. “There is no cure for these diseases,” says Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist Raymond Iezzi, author of the article published in the scientific journal Biomaterials. “An effective treatment could offer hope to hundreds of millions of patients worldwide.” The microglial cells targeted by researchers act like “trash collectors” in the eye, by cleaning up dead and dying material. However, their activity causes inflammation. During tests conducted on rats, microglial cells gobbled up the dendrimers, and the steroids contained in the dendrimers shut down the cells’ activity, thus reducing inflammation. The treatment reduces inflammation and protects vision by preventing injury to photoreceptors in the retina. Source: Info Clip |