Clinical Trial of a Cross-Link Breaker to Treat Presbyopia in the Aging Eye

Presbyopia in the aging eye manifests as a difficulty in focusing on close objects. It is caused by hardening of the lens, which is in part the result of cross-linking in the extracellular matrix of that tissue, though other mechanisms are involved as well. Cross-links are hardy metabolic byproducts resulting from the normal operation of metabolism, capable of degrading the structural properties of tissue, particularly elasticity, by linking proteins together and restricting their motion. Cross-linking is likely of great importance in skin aging and cardiovascular aging. The primary age-related cross-links of the lens are not the same as those of other soft tissues in the body, however: disulphide bonds rather than glucosepane. So this research is interesting for all of us heading towards older age and dysfunctional vision, but only in the context of dysfunctional vision. As a first attempt, there is clearly some room for improvement in the degree to which the approach taken breaks cross-links, but, given this proof of principle, that further improvement should follow in the years ahead. A new topical agent is coming closer than ever to improving the accommodative range for presbyopes. The agent, lipoic acid choline ester (UNR844, Novartis, formerly EV06), is a reducing agent that is purported to reduce the disulfide bonds that form between lens proteins, thus increasing the deformability of the crystalline lens. "This chemical was designed to improve the internal rh...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs