DCX derived peptides treatment to unlock neurorepair in the eye
Description: Depending on the severity and the progression of retina disease, people can suffer from a mere visual discomfort to a complete and irreversible blindness. Retina Ganglion cells (RGC) are the only neurons from the retina that project their axons to the brain through the optic nerve and are primary targets of eye diseases such as glaucoma. Thus, any damage to the RGC or the optic nerve will lead to irreversible vision impairment. So far, there is no treatment available to repair the optic nerve or protect RGC from death. Tremendous efforts allowed the identification of molecules promoting neuroprotection and/or regeneration in the visual system but their large spectrum of action and potential side effect make them non suitable to be used in humans as therapy. Our recent work identifies a new protein as a key factor for neuroprotection and regeneration. In contrast to other molecules identified, our candidate is only involved in cytoskeleton regulation and presents no oncogenic effect, making a perfect candidate to be used for drug design. We propose here to develop a new therapeutic strategy for retina diseases. We will set-up a peptide-based approach. Peptides from active domains of our protein will be synthesized and validated for their neuroprotective and regenerative effect both ex-vivo and in-vivo in a model of retina degeneration and optic nerve impairment. Preliminary results showed that this strategy is suitable while needing to be expanded. Our project will provide a new treatment to promote neuroprotection and regeneration.
Funder: Agence Nationale de la Recherche
Amount: €560,400
Funding type: research
Funder scheme: AAPG2025
Start date: 2026-01-05
Investigator: Stephane BELIN
Institution: UNIVERSITÉ GRENOBLE ALPES
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: ANR-25-CE18-1259
OpenAlex ID: G7718188927