A recent study by UI researchers shows that tauro urso deoxycholic acid (TUDCA) a synthetically derived bile acid, slowed the rate of vision loss in mice with specific types of retinal degenerative diseases. According to researchers at the University of Iowa, TUDCA performed well in mouse models of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and Bardet-Biedl syndrome type 1 (BBS1), which causes a variety of physical and developmental symptoms, including obesity and RP. The team believes that TUDCA holds the greatest potential for treating slower and later-onset retinal disease. Read the Foundation Fighting Blindness Article
citation: Arlene V. Drack, Alina V. Dumitrescu, Sajag Bhattarai, Daniel Gratie, Edwin M. Stone, Robert Mullins, Val C. Sheffield.TUDCA Slows Retinal Degeneration in Two Different Mouse Models of Retinitis Pigmentosa and Prevents Obesity in Bardet-Biedl Syndrome Type 1 Mice. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2012; 53(1):100-106. doi: 10.1167/iovs.11-8544
