STC-1 for the Treatment of Eye Diseases
- Naturally occurring protein- Rescues photoreceptor degeneration in two rat models of RD
Ophthalmology: Dry (atrophic) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Retinitis Pigmentosa
This technology is based on the finding that mesenchymal stem cells can be activated by signals from cells undergoing programmed cell death (apoptosis) to reduce the programmed cell death by secretion of stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1). STC-1 protein was originally identified as a calcium/phosphate regulatory protein in fish, but the mammalian STC-1 protein was found to have multiple effects including protection against ischemia and reduction of inflammatory responses. Intravitreal eye injections of STC-1 have been found to rescue photoreceptors (rods and cones) from degeneration in two different rat models of RD. Stanniocalcin therapy thus represents a promising therapy for diseases associated with photoreceptor cell loss, including dry AMD and RP. Currently, research is being conducted to determine effectiveness of STC-1 in transgenic pig models.
美国
