|
Rajendra Apte, M.D., Ph.D.
Washington University, School of Medicine
Saint Louis, MO
Title:
The importance of macrophage senescence in regulating angiogenesis in macular degeneration
Non-Technical Title:
Effect of cholesterol on the aged immune system in macular degeneration
Duration:
April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2012
|
Summary: How does cholesterol within drusen influence macrophage function in age-related macular degeneration? Does it promote the conversion of macrophages to pro-angiogenic cells that, in turn, cause progression to neovascular disease?
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$100,000
|
|
Judit Baffi, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY
Title:
CCR3 biology and imaging applied to CNV in AMD
Non-Technical Title:
A New Molecular Target for Diagnosing the Wet Form of AMD
Duration:
April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2012
|
Summary: We are pursuing the combined goals of understanding the role and impact of CCR3 function during blood vessel development in the eye. Further, we are exploiting CCR3 to create images of the earliest stages of neovascular, ‘wet’, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We are achieving this by using multiple molecular, biological, and genetic approaches. The potential impact of this proposal is very high as it will further define the functional relevance of the CCR3/eotaxin “axis” to the clinical development and progression of AMD. This will lead to the development of novel CCR3-targeting diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that can be used in the clinic to detect the subclinical stages of neovascular AMD, thus preventing this disease from progressing into a vision threatening state.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$100,000
|
|
Nicolas Bazan, M.D., Ph.D.
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center -- N.O.
New Orleans, LA
Title:
NPD1 promotes survival signaling in the Ccl2-/-/Cx3cr1-/- mouse AMD model
Non-Technical Title:
Neuroprotectin D1 promotes survival signaling in retinal cells of a mouse model
Duration:
April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2012
|
Summary: The proposed experiments will define changes in the survival messenger neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1) and will assess its bioactivity in a model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These “proof of principle” studies will facilitate the initiation of clinical studies in AMD patients.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$100,000
|
Michael Boulton, Ph.D.
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Title:
Gamma-Secretase Dysregulation And The Pathogenesis Of AMD
Non-Technical Title:
Gamma-Secretase Abnormalities And The Progression Of Macular Degeneration
Duration:
April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2011
|
Summary: We predict that abnormalities in a key enzyme involved in Alzheimer’s disease, gamma-secretase, render retinal pigment epithelial cells more susceptible to oxidative stress and blood retinal barrier breakdown and this contributes to the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We use in vitro (test tube) and in vivo (living) disease models to dissect the mechanisms by which gamma secretase regulates retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) function and determine how dysregulation of gamma secretase can lead to RPE dysfunction and cell death. Finally, we will use this knowledge to identify and test new therapeutic targets for the treatment of AMD.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$99,439
|
|
Joseph Corbo, M.D., Ph.D.
Washington University, School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO
Title:
Identifying Cis-Regulatory Elements Around The ARMS2 Locus
Non-Technical Title:
Mapping The Genetic Causes Of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Duration:
April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2011
|
Summary: Recent genetics studies have delineated a 23.3 Kb region around the ARMS2 locus that contains DNA sequence variants that are strongly associated with a person's susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We propose to identify all of the photoreceptor-specific gene regulatory elements in this 23.3 Kb region and to test whether sequence variants within these regions found in AMD patients affect the activity of these elements. In this manner it should be possible to determine which sequence variants are likely to cause disease, thus facilitating the genetic diagnosis of AMD.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$100,000
|
|
Douglas Dean, Ph.D.
University of Louisville Health Sciences Center
Louisville, KY
Title:
Multipotential Stem Cells In The Neonatal Mammalian Eye
Non-Technical Title:
Mouse Stem Cell Transfer In Eye Disease
Duration:
April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2011
|
Summary: Adult lower vertebrates retain stem cells, show remarkable regenerative capacity and can repair damaged retina. Higher vertebrates, including adult humans, have limited stem cell capacity and cannot significantly repair damaged retina and retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) tissues. This results in increased susceptibility to retinal injury and diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD involves both degeneration of photoreceptors and RPE, and we have identified a population of multipotential stem cells in the neonatal mouse eye which we propose to test in cell transplant assays for their ability to replaced damaged RPE and photoreceptors.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$100,000
|
|
Joshua Dunaief, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Title:
Preclinical Analysis Of The Iron-Binding Drugs SIH And BSIH For AMD
Non-Technical Title:
Could Iron-Binding Drugs Protect Vision In Patients With AMD
Duration:
April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2011
|
Summary: The goal of this proposal is to determine whether the iron binding drugs SIH and BSIH, which are very effective in protecting cultured retinal cells, will be similarly protective in living animals. To this end, we will test the drugs in our Cp/Heph iron overload-induced model of AMD, which is a mouse that possesses a number of eye features in common with human AMD.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$100,000
|
Jacque Duncan, M.D.
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Title:
Relationship Between Fundus Autofluorescence And Cell Survival
Non-Technical Title:
Why Vision Cells Die In Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Duration:
April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2011
|
Summary: This project will ask whether autofluorescent lesions visible in the macula and genetic risk factors associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) correlate with vision loss and progression of disease severity. We will use multiple measures of retinal structure and function to measure disease severity and progression over 1 year. We will correlate these precise measures of AMD disease severity and progression with autofluorescent lesions and genes associated with increased risk of AMD.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$100,000
|
|
Sina Farsiu, Ph.D.
Duke University
Durham, NC
Title:
Automatic Measurement of Wet AMD's Imaging Biomarkers
Non-Technical Title:
Automatic Detection and Measurement of neovascular AMD's Imaging Biomarkers
Duration:
April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2012
Co-Investigator(s):
Glenn Jaffe,
Duke University
|
Summary: We are developing an open source fully-automated software program with demonstrated high accuracy that is able to detect, segment, and analyze Neovascular AMD (NVAMD) pathology seen on optical coherence tomography and compare these data to corresponding features on other imaging modalities. We anticipate that the software tools developed in this proposal will be readily adopted by clinicians, clinical study sites, and image Reading Centers to better identify NVAMD at the earliest stages, to quantify disease progression, and to measure response to therapy.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$100,000
|
|
Erica Fletcher, O.D., Ph.D.
The University of Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia
Title:
Reducing photoreceptor death in dry AMD using anti-purinergic agents
Non-Technical Title:
Ways of reducing vision loss in an animal model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Duration:
April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2012
|
Summary: We think that a molecule called ATP is released from dying photoreceptors early in the course of age-related macular degeneration that causes and accelerates the death of neighboring cells. In addition, we predict that drugs that block the actions of ATP will slow photoreceptor death and ultimately preserve vision. This project will examine this question in an animal model of age-related macular degeneration.
More details
Program: Macular Degeneration
Award Type: Standard
$99,196
