Medical Minute Archive 05 27 2023 vision loss in premature babies

Medical Minute
Aired on Georgia Public Broadcasting on May 27, 2023
Dr. Joseph Hobbs, Chair Emeritus of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, discusses a small molecule that could play a big role is battling vision loss in premature babies and adults with diabetes.
“When the eye senses it is not getting enough oxygen, the retina tries to grow more blood vessels to supply more. However, leaky blood vessels that further obstruct vision may result. This can occur in both premature babies and in adults with diabetes. Scientists have found that the small molecule K604, which is being explored in cancer and Alzheimer’s, can block development of these dysfunctional blood vessels. It can also tamp down destructive inflammation and enable more normal blood vessel growth. Stated simply, K604 interferes with a process triggered by insufficient oxygen that brings a lot of cholesterol into the retina, where it induces inflammation and injury. Scientists say clinical trials of K604 in premature babies are in order. I’m Dr. Joseph Hobbs.”
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