Session information

Symposium

[S61] Diabetic Retinopathy Update

Tue. Mar 28, 2023 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM [Room M1] The Alumni Hall "Frate": Hall (1F)

Organizer: Akifumi Kushiyama, Yoshiki Miyata

The number of patients with diabetic retinopathy is expected to increase further in the future as the population of diabetics grows, and it will be important to develop treatments that can be widely implemented to prevent the onset and progression of retinopathy. Therefore, the research for new drug discovery based on the elucidation of the early pathophysiology of retinopathy is needed. The onset of diabetic retinopathy is triggered by the breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), which is closely associated with the loss of pericytes. Besides, retinal capillaries, their surrounding neurons and glial cells form the neurovascular unit (NVU), and NVU is a potential target for retinopathy. In addition, retinal drug delivery technologies such as nano-formulation technology and research for discovering new drug candidates have made great progress in recent years. In this symposium, we will invite researchers who are highly active in the fields of pharmacology and ophthalmology. Dr. Uemura of the Uemura Ophthalmology Clinic presented the mechanism of pathogenesis of retinopathy, starting from pericyte loss; Dr. Nagaoka of Nihon University presented NVU-focused retinopathy treatment; Dr. Kushiyama of Meiji Pharmaceutical University will talk about biomarkers of retinopathy and interventions targeting metabolism, Dr. Nagai of Kinki University will discuss drug delivery technology to the retina, and Dr. Yatsu of Teikyo University will discuss the potential of vitamin D analogues as new retinopathy treatments.