Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear were stumped when they saw T cells in the retinas of mice with glaucoma, so they called in an immunologist. Now their collaboration has produced the intriguing conclusion that glaucoma might be an autoimmune disease.
In a paper released Friday, they reported that T cells, key soldiers in the immune system’s defense against microbes, play a role in the prolonged retinal degeneration seen in glaucoma. They also identified the target of the T cells: heat shock proteins, manufactured by both human cells and the bacteria residing within us.
This finding, published in Nature Communications, suggests that glaucoma may be an autoimmune disease resulting from T cells, primed to attack bacterial proteins, turning against human proteins instead. This discovery could unlock a critical new door for treatment options.
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