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CFC Research Featured in Major Vision Publication

The article featured on the cover of the September, 2006 edition of vision research magazine IOVS (Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science) is authored by Rebecca M. Sappington, PhD, and David J. Calkins, PhD, of the GRF-funded Catalyst For a Cure (CFC) research consortium. Drs. Calkins and Sappington provided the following summary of their published findings:

In glaucoma, the response of astrocytes and microglia is generally associated with negative effects on retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Recent work by the Catalyst For a Cure (CFC) research consortium demonstrates that microglia may actually protect RGCs from death. In a recently published paper, the CFC researchers identified interleukin-6 (IL-6) as an important factor released by microglia that can significantly reduce RGC death caused by elevated pressure. In a second newly published paper, the CFC researchers demonstrate that pressure-induced production and release of IL-6 by microglia occurs via cellular mechanisms that also underlie IL-6 production in other neurological insults and diseases. CFC studies support the notion that as a neurodegenerative disease, glaucoma shares common disease mechanisms and characteristics with other neurological injuries and disorders. In particular, the CFC has identified both IL-6 and microglia as potential targets for therapeutics aimed at promoting health and survival in glaucoma.

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