Biomarkers could predict glaucoma treatment response

Researchers at University College London (UCL) and Moorfields Eye Hospital have identified biomarkers in blood that could predict how glaucoma patients may respond to treatment. The study, published in Nature Medicine, asked whether mitochondrial function was lower in people with glaucoma than those without glaucoma and if mitochondrial function was associated with the rate at which glaucoma patients lose vision.

Researchers assessed 139 patients who were already receiving treatment to lower intraocular pressure and 50 healthy people as a control group. They measured how well cells in the blood use oxygen, how much vision was lost over time and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) levels.