- Leinonen, Henri;
- Zhang, Jianye;
- Occelli, Laurence M;
- Seemab, Umair;
- Choi, Elliot H;
- L.P. Marinho, Luis Felipe;
- Querubin, Janice;
- Kolesnikov, Alexander V;
- Galinska, Anna;
- Kordecka, Katarzyna;
- Hoang, Thanh;
- Lewandowski, Dominik;
- Lee, Timothy T;
- Einstein, Elliott E;
- Einstein, David E;
- Dong, Zhiqian;
- Kiser, Philip D;
- Blackshaw, Seth;
- Kefalov, Vladimir J;
- Tabaka, Marcin;
- Foik, Andrzej;
- Petersen-Jones, Simon M;
- Palczewski, Krzysztof
Inherited retinopathies are devastating diseases that in most cases lack treatment options. Disease-modifying therapies that mitigate pathophysiology regardless of the underlying genetic lesion are desirable due to the diversity of mutations found in such diseases. We tested a systems pharmacology-based strategy that suppresses intracellular cAMP and Ca2+ activity via G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) modulation using tamsulosin, metoprolol, and bromocriptine coadministration. The treatment improves cone photoreceptor function and slows degeneration in Pde6βrd10 and RhoP23H/WT retinitis pigmentosa mice. Cone degeneration is modestly mitigated after a 7-month-long drug infusion in PDE6A-/- dogs. The treatment also improves rod pathway function in an Rpe65-/- mouse model of Leber congenital amaurosis but does not protect from cone degeneration. RNA-sequencing analyses indicate improved metabolic function in drug-treated Rpe65-/- and rd10 mice. Our data show that catecholaminergic GPCR drug combinations that modify second messenger levels via multiple receptor actions provide a potential disease-modifying therapy against retinal degeneration.