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Published on: June 23, 2014
Toward the Clinical Application of Therapeutic Angiogenesis Against Pediatric Ischemic Retinopathy
Dong Hyun Jo1, Jeong Hun Kim2,3,4
1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Insights
Therapeutic angiogenesis can treat pediatric ischemic retinopathy by restoring normal blood vessel growth. This approach, drawing from cardiovascular disease successes, offers a promising breakthrough for conditions like retinopathy of prematurity.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Pediatric ischemic retinopathies, including retinopathy of prematurity, are characterized by impaired physiological angiogenesis and subsequent pathological neovascularization.
- Current treatments for these conditions are limited and often focus on managing pathological angiogenesis rather than restoring normal vascular development.
- Therapeutic angiogenesis, successfully applied in cardiovascular diseases, presents a novel strategy for addressing the underlying angiogenic imbalance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of therapeutic angiogenesis as a treatment for pediatric ischemic retinopathies.
- To review existing knowledge and propose strategies for applying therapeutic angiogenesis in the context of retinal diseases.
- To highlight the relevance of cardiovascular therapeutic angiogenesis experiences for ophthalmology.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on therapeutic angiogenesis in cardiovascular and retinal diseases.
- Discussion of various molecular and cellular modalities for delivering angiogenic factors to the retina.
- Consideration of intraocular injection as a primary delivery route.
Main Results:
- Therapeutic angiogenesis offers a strategy to supplement insufficient physiological angiogenesis in pediatric ischemic retinopathies.
- Recombinant proteins, gene therapy, and cell-based therapies (endothelial progenitor cells, bone marrow-derived cells) are viable tools.
- Intraocular delivery methods are particularly promising for retinal applications.
Conclusions:
- Therapeutic angiogenesis holds significant potential as a breakthrough treatment for pediatric ischemic retinopathies.
- Leveraging knowledge from cardiovascular applications can accelerate clinical translation.
- Targeting the angiogenic imbalance offers a novel therapeutic paradigm for these sight-threatening conditions.
Abstract:
Therapeutic angiogenesis refers to strategies of inducing angiogenesis to treat diseases involving ischemic conditions. Historically, most attempts and achievements have been related to coronary and peripheral artery diseases. In this review, we propose the clinical application of therapeutic angiogenesis for the treatment of pediatric ischemic retinopathy, including retinopathy of prematurity, familial exudative retinopathy, and NDP-related retinopathy. These diseases are all characterized by the reduction of physiological angiogenesis and the following induction of pathological angiogenesis. Therapeutic angiogenesis, which supplements insufficient physiological angiogenesis, may be a therapeutic approach for ischemic conditions. Various molecules and modalities can be utilized to apply therapeutic angiogenesis for the treatment of ischemic retinopathy, as in coronary and peripheral artery diseases. Experiences with cardiovascular diseases provide a useful reference for the further clinical application of therapeutic angiogenesis in pediatric ischemic retinopathy. Recombinant proteins and gene therapy are powerful tools to deliver angiogenic factors to retinal tissues directly. Furthermore, endothelial progenitor or bone marrow-derived cells can be injected into the vitreous cavity of the eye for therapeutic angiogenesis. Intraocular injections are highly promising for the delivery of therapeutics for therapeutic angiogenesis. We expect that therapeutic angiogenesis will be a breakthrough in the treatment of pediatric ischemic retinopathy.
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