METHOD OF PREVENTING THE DEATH OF RETINAL NEURONS AND TREATING OCULAR DISEASES

The present invention relates to the use of FGF-5 polypeptides to delay, prevent or rescue retinal neurons, including photoreceptors, other retinal cells or supportive cells (e.g. Müller cells or RPE cells) from injury and degradation. Conditions comprehended by treatment of the present FGF-5 polypeptides (including variants), antibodies, compositions and articles of manufacture include: retinal detachment, age-related and other maculopathies, photic retinopathies, surgery-induced retinopathies (either mechanicallyy or light-induced), toxic retinopathies including those resulting from foreign bodies in the eye, diabetic retinopathies, retinopathy of prematurity, viral retinopathies such as CMV or HIV retinopathy related to AIDS, uveities, ischemic retinopathies due to venous or arterial occlusion or other vascular disorder, retinopathies due to trauma or penetrating lesions of the eye, peripheral vitreoretinopathy, and inherited retinal degenerations. Exemplary retinal degenerations include e.g., hereditary spastic paraplegia with retinal degeneration (Kjellin and Barnard-Scholz syndromes), retinis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, Usher syndrome (retinits pigmentosa with congenital hearing loss), and Refsum syndrome (retinitis pigmentosa, hereditary hearing loss, and polyneuropathy). Additional disorders which result in death of retinal neurons include, retinal tears, detachment of the retina and pigment epithelium, degenerative myopia, acute retinal necrosis syndrome (ARN), traumatic chorioretinopathies or contusion (Purtscher's Retinopathy) and edema. La présente invention concerne l'utilisation de polypeptides FGF-5 pour retarder, prévenir ou réparer les lésions et la dégradation des neurones de la rétine, notamment des photorécepteurs, d'autres cellules rétiniennes ou cellules auxiliaires (cellules de Müller ou cellules RPE). Parmi les états englobés par le traitement des polypeptides FGF-5 (variants y compris), des anticorps, des compositions et articles manufacturés de l'invention figurent: le décollement de la rétine, les maculopathies dues à l'âge ou autres, les rétinopathies photiques, les rétinopathies d'origine chirurgicale (soit photo-induites soit induites mécaniquement), les rétinopathies toxiques y compris celles provoquées par la présence de corps étrangers dans l'oeil, les rétinopathies diabétiques, la rétinopathie du prématuré, les rétinopathies virales telles que la rétinopathie à CMV ou VIH associée au sida, l'uvéite, les rétinopathies is