BOSTON, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have found that a growth factor controls the immune system's response to corneal transplants, a discovery that may help transplants survive.
Corneal transplants are the most common type of transplant, with 40,000 Americans undergoing the procedure each year. To suppress the immune system's rejection of the foreign proteins, however, many patients must use steroid drops that can cause glaucoma, cataracts and infection -- if the transplant is not rejected completely.
Teams at the Schepens Eye Research Institute and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary found the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 -- which causes the growth of lymphatic vessels -- controls the movement of immune cells in the eye.
They said if this growth factor can be blocked, it will allow corneal transplants to survive and may yield treatments for other diseases such as cancer, where VEGFR-3 causes the growth of cancer cells.
The researchers think when VEGFR-3 becomes activated it prompts the immune system to attack foreign proteins. The VEGFR-3 then mobilizes these cells into the lymphatic system to attack invaders or, in the case of a corneal transplant, the donor tissue.
