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Please note that we are a research service provider, not a pharmacy or clinic, so we are unable to see patients and do not offer diagnostic and treatment services for individuals.

Vaso-occlusive Retinopathies

Vaso-occlusive retinopathies (VOR) encompass a broad range of retinal vascular diseases that affect the circulation of blood to the retina. Protheragen is committed to supporting the development of innovative diagnostics and therapeutics for vaso-occlusive retinopathies.

Overview of Vaso-occlusive Retinopathies

Vaso-occlusive retinopathies are a collection of debilitating eye diseases that result in remarkable visual disability or complete blindness due to the obstruction of the blood vessels of the eye and retina and may severely affect vision. These conditions may stem from a multitude of reasons; for example, Systemic autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or even genetic conditions like sickle cell disease. The features and the impact of vaso-occlusive retinopathies are quite heterogeneous, from relatively benign processes with retinal hemorrhages to more severe ischemic changes with neovascular associations.

Fundus and angiographic color images of vaso-occlusive retinopathies cases.

Fig.1 Color fundus and angiography images of a case of vaso-occlusive retinopathies. (Kumar K., et al., 2021)

Diagnostics Development for Vaso-occlusive Retinopathies

Imaging Techniques
Both fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) form the basis for diagnosing and monitoring various forms of vaso-occlusive retinopathies. With OCT, it is possible to identify early signs of ischemia which include cystoid macular edema and retinal thickening, due to the high-resolution cross-sectional images of the retina it provides. Meanwhile, fluorescein angiography allows for the monitoring of blood flow to the retina and the detection of capillary nonperfusion as well as neovascularization.
Genetic and Biomarker Analysis
For disorders such as sickle cell retinopathy, conducting a genetic test is crucial in both confirming the diagnosis and ascertaining the type of hemoglobinopathy causing the retinopathy. Moreover, efforts are being made to find new predictive biomarkers of therapeutic response and disease course. For instance, some inflammatory cytokines with elevated levels may have an association with the activity of the disease in retinopathies associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Therapeutics Development for Vaso-occlusive Retinopathies

Immunomodulatory Therapies

As to retinopathy associated with SLE, systemic disease activity as well as retinopathy outcomes are controlled with the use of immunosuppressive agents like glucocorticoids, hydroxychloroquine, and azathioprine. In more resistant cases, targeted biological therapies such as Rituximab and Belimumab have recently proved to be beneficial.

Anti-angiogenic and Anti-coagulant Therapies

In situations where there are neovascular issues, agents like Bevacizumab can be utilized for the risk of developing vitreous hemorrhage by inhibiting abnormal blood vessel growth. Moreover, in patients with underlying hypercoagulable conditions, the use of anticoagulant therapy may help in the prevention of further vascular obstruction.

Novel Therapeutic Approaches

New therapies such as gene therapy and cell-based therapeutics are under development with the expectation that they may help to cure the underlying pathophysiology of vaso-occlusive retinopathies. For instance, gene therapy aimed at the expression of anti-sickling proteins may be helpful in treating sickle cell retinopathy.

Our Services

Understanding that each vaso-occlusive retinopathy project has its own unique characteristics, Protheragen custom designs diagnostics and develops therapeutics to meet the specific needs and objectives of our clients. Alongside our researchers and developers, our specialists provide bespoke solutions ranging from specialized assay development to custom preclinical study design.

Diagnostics Development

Karyotype Analysis Service
Omics Analysis Service
Biomarker Development Service
Artificial Intelligence Service

Therapeutic Development

Small Molecule Drug
Cell Therapy
Gene Therapy
Therapeutic Antibody
Therapeutic Peptide
Therapeutic Protein

Preclinical Research

Pharmacodynamics Study Services
Pharmacokinetics Study Services
Drug Safety Evaluation Services

Disease Models

Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy (OIR) Models
Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion (BRVO) Models
Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) Models
Thrombin Intravitreal Injection Models
NP6 Intravitreal Injection Models

Using advanced technologies, Protheragen is developing next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics for vaso-occlusive retinopathies at an accelerated pace. If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

Kumar, Kshitiz, et al. "Severe vaso-occlusive retinopathy in systemic lupus erythematosus: a case series." Cureus 13.1 (2021).