Q&A: Discovery could lead to a cure for glaucoma with nanotherapy

Researchers at the University of Virginia and Northwestern University have developed a nanotherapy tool that could potentially cure glaucoma. By creating tiny particles that help drain fluid from the eye, they aim to reduce the intraocular pressure (IOP) that can lead to blindness. The most common type of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, often develops in patients over the age of 60 due to aging-related changes in gene expression.

Current treatments, such as invasive surgery or daily eye drops, have limited effectiveness and side effects, prompting the need for a more efficient solution. The team, led by Evan Scott at UVA and including Mark Johnson and Ben Thompson from Northwestern, has focused on a gene called Prox1, which can either decrease or increase IOP depending on its expression level.

They have created biodegradable nanoparticles that selectively modify Prox1-expressing cells in the eye, allowing for targeted pressure regulation without affecting off-target cells. This innovative approach, described in the journal JCI Insight, is currently at a preclinical stage and is not expected to enter human trials for at least five years.