1. ¹Departments of Pathology & Glaucoma, London, UK
2. ²Wound Healing Research Unit, London, UK
3. ³Ocular Gene Therapy Group, Moorfields Eye Hospital & Institute of Ophthalmology, Bath Street, London, UK
4. ⁴Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology, CA, USA
5. ⁵Department of Functional Genomics, ISIS Pharmaceuticals, Carlsbad, CA, USA
6. ⁶Departments of Ophthalmology & Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

Correspondence: MF Cordeiro, Institute of Ophthalmology, Bath Street, London EC1V 9EL, UK

Received 28 May 2002; Accepted 4 July 2002.

Abstract

The scarring response is an important factor in many diseases throughout the body. In addition, it is a major problem in influencing results of surgery. In the eye, for example, post-operative scarring can determine the outcome of surgery. This is particularly the case in the blinding disease glaucoma, where several anti-scarring regimens are currently used to improve glaucoma surgery results, but are of limited use clinically because of severe complications. We have recently identified transforming growth factor- (TGF-) as a target for post-operative anti-scarring therapy in glaucoma, and now report the first study of novel second-generation antisense phosphorothioate oligonucleotides against TGF- in vivo. Single applications of a TGF- OGN at the time of surgery in two different animal models closely related to the surgical procedure performed in glaucoma patients, significantly reduced post-operative scarring (P<0.05) and improved surgical outcome. Our findings suggest that TGF- antisense oligonucleotides have potential as a new therapy for reducing post-surgical scarring. Its long-lasting effects after only a single administration at the time of surgery make it particularly attractive clinically. Furthermore, although we have shown this agent to be useful in the eye, it could have widespread applications anywhere in the body where the wound-healing response requires modulation.