A research group led by Associate Professor Toru Nakazawa at Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, and Prof. Joan W Miller at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard University, has demonstrated that Heat Shock Protein (HSP) induction in retina, through the oral administration of Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), strongly inhibits photoreceptor apoptosis caused by retinal detachment.

 Retina in an eye serves a same function as film in a camera. Photoreceptor cells are critical to receive light and to transmit visual information to the brain. It has been known that the death of photoreceptor cells is the direct result of vision loss in severe ocular diseases with blindness. The research group has shown that photoreceptor apoptosis is caused by TNFα in a mouse model of retinal detachment, and has explored for neuroprotective agents which inhibit the death of photoreceptor cells so far. Since HSP has a function to repair denatured proteins, the hypothesis that HSP suppresses photoreceptor apoptosis after retinal detachment has been formulated and verified. As a result, it has been revealed that HSP is induced through the oral administration of GGA to mice, and suppresses photoreceptor apoptosis caused by retinal detachment.

 The research result will be published in American Journal of Physiology. The paper's title is “Heat Shock Protein 70 is critical for the photoreceptor stress response after retinal detachment via modulating anti-apoptotic Akt kinase.”

More information (Japanese)

[Contact]

Associate Professor Toru Nakazawa

Advanced Ophthalmic Medicine,

Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

TEL: +81-22-717-7294

E-mail: ntoru*oph.med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)

[Public Relations]

Associate professor Fuji Nagami

Public Relations Office of Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine

Tel: +81-22-717-7908, Fax: +81-22-717-8187

E-mail: f-nagami*med.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace * with @)