Michigan State University & University of Alabama at Birmingham
The Department of Physiology at Michigan State University has a unique partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham to better understand diabetic retinopathy. It is a sight threatening microvascular diabetic complication. Recently it became clear that it is not hyperglycemia alone, but rather the combination of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia that lead to the development of DR. Moreover, both retinal-specific and systemic factor contribute to hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia-induced damage. Our research is focusing on understanding how systemic as well as retina-specific metabolic changes contribute to pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic changes in the retina leading to the pathogenesis of the disease. In this film, we examine both the contribution of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia-induced changes in the retinal glia and endothelial cells, as well as the bone marrow derived pro-inflammatory and reparative progenitor cells to retinal vascular damage.