Tag: glaucoma genetics

Scientists Uncover Role of Alzheimer’s-Linked APOE Gene in Glaucoma Protection and Identify Promising Treatment Strategy to Prevent Vision Loss

sarah JonasResearch Results

Scientists have demonstrated that the APOE4 gene variant, which increases risk for Alzheimer’s but decreases risk of glaucoma in humans, blocks a disease cascade that leads to the destruction of retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma. Additionally, they showed in mouse models that the death of retinal ganglion cells – the cause of vision loss in glaucoma – can be prevented by using medications to inhibit a molecule called Galectin-3, which is regulated by the APOE gene. These findings taken together emphasize the critical role of APOE in glaucoma and suggest that Galectin-3 inhibitors hold promise as a glaucoma treatment, according to the authors.