15/06/2011

The leader of the Diabetes and metabolism group at Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Dr. Rafael Simó, participated a few days ago at a conference organized by the Russian Society of Ophthalmology, held in St. Petersburg. On this occasion, his contribution was made through a videoconference from VHIR headquarters, that was attended live by more than 300 people at the Russian conference venue. Dr. Simó spoke at a workshop on the mechanism of action of fenofibrate in the prevention of diabetic retinopathy in the framework of the Plenary Session on the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy, with special emphasis on the role of neurodegeneration as an early and capital part at startup.Dr. Rafael Simó will "http://www.vhir.org/salapremsa/mitjans/mitjans_detall.asp?Idioma=en&mv1=5&mv2=1&mh1=0&mh2=0&mh3=0&mh4=0&ms=0&any=2011&num=95" coordinate an European consortium to investigate early treatment of diabetic retinopathy (EUROCONDOR), the leading cause of blindness among people of working age in developed countries. The project will develop a controlled clinical trial in phase II and III that will try to test the effectiveness of somatostatin, a neuroprotective drug in early stages of the disease to prevent or delay its progression.