Intraocular therapy prevents or reverses diabetic retinopathy in mice

Pathologic changes of the retina caused by diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working adults. Diabetic retinopathy has no known cure, treatment options are inadequate, and prevention strategies offer limited protection. In the first of its kind, a report in The American Journal of Pathology describes a potential new intraocular treatment based on…

Retinal Remodeling And Metabolic Alterations in Human AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive retinal degeneration resulting in central visual field loss, ultimately causing debilitating blindness.  While many genetic and environmental risk factors are known for AMD, we currently know less about the mechanisms mediating disease progression.  The goal of this article is to illustrate cell types impacted in AMD and demonstrate…

Avalanche Biotechnologies Closes Transaction With Annapurna Therapeutics

Avalanche Biotechnologies, Inc. (AAVL) today announced the closing of the previously announced transaction with Annapurna Therapeutics.  “The new management team is focused on applying our extensive clinical development expertise to advance the company’s gene therapy programs into the clinic.  We intend on dosing our first patients for A1AT deficiency by the end of this year…

Nerve Injury Appears to be Root of Diabetes-related Vision Loss

Diabetes-related vision loss most often is blamed on blood vessel damage in and around the retina, but new research indicates that much of that vision loss may result from nerve cell injury that occurs long before any blood vessels are damaged.  After three months on a high-fat diet, the animals had developed obesity-related glucose intolerance,…

Solving Three Major Age-related Eye Conditions in One Go

Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) is looking like more of an optical troublemaker than ever before – as well as its link with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it also might be causing dry AMD and even age-related cataracts.  Therefore, Massachusetts General Hospital researcher and paper author, Dr Alexander Marneros, is looking at what processes…

RetroSense Therapeutics to Present at the 8th Ocular Diseases Drug Discovery Conference

RetroSense Therapeutics is a privately-held biotechnology company developing life-enhancing gene therapies designed to restore vision in patients suffering from blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (advanced dry-AMD).  RetroSense is developing optogenetic approaches to partial vision restoration in retinitis pigmentosa and potentially dry age-related macular degeneration. Read the entire article…

Macular Degeneration Association Issues Urgent Supplement Warning for Patients

The Macular Degeneration Association, a nonprofit dedicated to preventing blindness, today issued an urgent warning to patients suffering from a form of the disease known as “intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration.”  MDA leaders and ophthalmologists are advising patients to talk with their doctors about a proven and commonly prescribed vitamin supplement containing zinc, an ingredient…

Topical Dorzolamide-Timolol With Intravitreous Anti–Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Topical dorzolamide hydrochloride-timolol appears to reduce central subfield thickness and subretinal fluid in eyes of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and incomplete response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy, according to a study published online Feb. 25 in JAMA Ophthalmology. Jayanth Sridhar, M.D., from the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and colleagues…

Smart Contact Lens Helps Predict Disease Progression in Glaucoma Patients

A contact lens with a built-in sensor could help determine which glaucoma patients have a higher risk of disease progression, according to a new study.  Glaucoma remains a leading cause of blindness. One of the main indicators of the disease is high pressure in the eye, or intraocular pressure.  Researchers at Columbia tested the lenses on…