Project summary
Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes that can lead to vision loss. People who have had this condition for more than five years may be at higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Dr Karis Little aims to better understand the connection between these two conditions by studying the systems in the brain and eye that remove waste. Better understanding what retinopathy and Alzheimer’s disease have in common could provide insights into how retinopathy develops and help identify new treatments.
Background to research
Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication where blood vessels at the back of the eye (the retina) are damaged or become leaky due to high blood sugar levels. This can lead to vision problems.
People who have had diabetic retinopathy for more than five years are at a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. However, we don’t fully understand the links between these two conditions.
Alzheimer’s disease damages the part of the brain responsible for removing waste produced by the body, allowing waste to build up and damage the brain. This part of the brain is known as the glymphatic system. Recently, scientists discovered that the retina also has a similar system and that leftover waste may play a role in retinopathy. Dr Karis Little aims to explore if, and how, diabetes affects the glymphatic system in the eye.
Research aims
First, the team will study how the glymphatic system in the eye removes waste and how it could be affected by type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and a combination of both conditions in mice.
They will use a special glowing protein to track how well the glymphatic system clears proteins from the eye. They will also examine the space around the retinal blood vessels and identify any changes caused by one or both conditions.
Next, the team will study the gene activity in the retinal glymphatic system in mice. This could provide more insights into the connection between diabetic retinopathy and Alzheimer’s disease.
Finally, they will confirm their findings from mice in retina tissue donated by people with diabetic retinopathy, with or without Alzheimer’s disease.
Potential benefit to people with diabetes
Vision problems and sight loss are devastating for people with diabetes, and current treatments don’t work early or well enough. It‘s also thought that advanced diabetic retinopathy can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. By uncovering why the two conditions are linked this project could help identify new ways to treat retinopathy, preventing the condition from progressing and protecting vision in people with diabetes.
