Scientists of the Department of Physiology of the Faculty of Medicine of the Medical University of Silesia in Katowice received over PLN 1 million for research of innovative therapies including the use of protein of immortality in the treatment of glaucoma.

The therapy bases on delivering an additional gene responsible for the production of HuR protein into the eye to increase its content in retinal ganglion cells. HuR is called the immortality protein, because the cells with high concentration of it are more resistant to damaging factors.

Glaucoma is a chronic, neurodegenerative disease that causes damage to retinal ganglion cells and to higher levels of the visual pathway. If untreated, it can lead to total and irreversible blindness. Studies on animals have shown that the methods developed in Katowice allow to slow down significantly the progression of the disease.