Boosting Sirt6 to protect vision in diabetic eye disease
Anti-Aging Molecule Sirt6 in Neuroprotection in Diabetic Retina
Seeing if increasing the anti-aging protein Sirt6 can protect retinal nerve cells and help preserve vision in adults with diabetic retinopathy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Med Br Galveston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Galveston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11320862 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
I would be part of research that looks at how diabetes injures retinal nerve cells early on and whether the anti-aging protein Sirt6 can prevent that damage. The team will use lab experiments and animal models alongside samples or clinical imaging from people with diabetes to study retinal ganglion cells and their axons. They will test ways to increase Sirt6 activity and observe whether that limits nerve cell dysfunction and degeneration. The aim is to identify approaches that could be developed into treatments to keep vision from worsening.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults with diabetes, especially those with early-stage diabetic retinopathy or at risk for retinal nerve damage, who can provide clinical data, imaging, or tissue samples.
Not a fit: People without diabetic eye disease or those with advanced proliferative retinopathy already requiring surgery may not get direct benefit from this early-stage research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to treatments that protect retinal neurons and slow or prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy.
How similar studies have performed: Prior laboratory and animal studies suggest Sirt6 can protect nerve cells, but clinical evidence in people with diabetic retinopathy is limited.
Where this research is happening
Galveston, United States
- University of Texas Med Br Galveston — Galveston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Wenbo — University of Texas Med Br Galveston
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Wenbo
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.