People with high-pressure glaucoma have eyes that are unable to properly drain fluid, leading to higher pressure and vision loss. This type of glaucoma affects nearly 60 million people worldwide. 

With few treatments available for high-pressure glaucoma, researchers at Northwestern Medicine conducted a study on mice to help create a new therapy option. Learn more about the new treatment, including what the researchers did and who it may benefit.*

What Did Researchers Discover?

Using gene editing in mice, scientists created a new long-lasting and non-toxic protein treatment (Hepta-ANGPT1). During their research, they found:

• Glaucoma was successfully prevented in one model
• Pressure in the eyes of healthy adult mice was reduced

In addition, scientists used their data to explore other types of potential treatments for different types of glaucoma. One interesting finding was associated with a specialized blood vessel in the eye (Schlemm’s canal), which is important for draining fluid and maintaining normal eye pressure. 

“Having a treatment that can promote remodeling and/or growth of a defective Schlemm’s canal to treat glaucoma would be fantastic,” said corresponding author Dr. Susan Quaggin, chief of nephrology and hypertension in the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  “These studies are the first step to that goal.”

Who Could Benefit from this New Treatment?

The newly discovered treatment may one day help treat patients with open-angle glaucoma and prevent a severe form of glaucoma in children called primary congenital glaucoma. 

“Our hope is that this study leads to the first targeted therapy that effectively promotes (aqueous humor) fluid outflow from the front of an eye, reversing the underlying biologic defect in patients with glaucoma,” Quaggin said.

While further human studies and safety steps need to be completed, this potentially could be an injectable treatment option to prevent or treat open-angle glaucoma. 

*Samuelson, K. (2021, October 18). A new treatment for glaucoma? Northwestern Now. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2021/10/new-glaucoma-treatment/