Powerful enzyme that tamps down inflammation holds promise for protecting eyes in diabetes, premature birth
Making more of enzyme A1, which tamps down inflammation, available could help treat diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.
Originally developed to discover how remedies and poisons effected man, modern pharmacology lays the groundwork to discover and develop future generations of therapeutics. Pharmacology's scope has broadened to include: computer-assisted drug design; genetic screens; protein engineering; and new drug-delivery vehicles like viruses and artificial cells.
The department's history of accomplishments include the discovery of the adrenergic receptor subtypes-alpha and beta which led to developing several drugs used to treat cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular and neuroscience studies are the focuses of the department's research programs.
Raymond P. Ahlquist, working in this Department, first defined α and β adrenergic receptors in 1948. This discovery eventually led to the development of “β blocker” drugs for hypertension and heart disease.
β adrenergic receptors (blue) clustered into artificial microdomains on the surface of a living COS7 cell (red).
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Health Sciences Campus
Carl T. Sanders R & E Building
706-721-2345
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Making more of enzyme A1, which tamps down inflammation, available could help treat diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity.
“It turns out only a quarter of the people exposed to the same traumatic event will go on to develop PTSD and it’s not understood why some do and some don’t,” said Dr. Almira Vazdarjanova.
Diabetes damages damages existing blood vessels and ability to grow new ones. Exercise could help.
The scientists worked in models of blood vessel development in the highly vascularized retina and in peripheral artery disease in a limb.