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Development of a new therapy for immune related dry eye disease using senolytic reagents

Description: Aging in immune system is thought to be a factor in the development of chronic ocular GVHD, which is currently treated primarily with immunosuppressive therapies. Our findings suggest a potential association between chronic ocular GVHD pathogenesis and stress-induced cellular senescence through the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Senescent cells produce cytokines and chemokines, such as IL-6 and CXCL9 a major components of SASP. Senescent cell accumulation was presumably associated with cGVHD development in lacrimal glands(LGs), as evidenced by the improvement in LGs after the selective elimination of senescent cells (senolysis) with ABT-263. Results in the sclerodermatous cGVHD mouse model suggest that inhibiting the SASP, including IL-6 and CXCL9, with senolytics is a potential novel strategy for treating cGVHD-affected LGs.

Funder: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Amount: ¥3,900,000

Funding type: research

Funder scheme: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Start date: 2018-04-01

End date: 2022-03-31

Investigator: Yoko OGAWA

Institution: Keio University

Topic: Ocular Surface and Contact Lens

Subfield: Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

Funded outputs count: 14

Funder award ID: 18K09421

OpenAlex ID: G1147504179