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, 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…
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 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 is the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in people over 50 –and with life expectancies well into the 80s, it is estimated that 1 and 3 elderly individuals will have to deal with this degenerative disease. The remedy? Monthly injections (via needle) into the back of the eye, where the disease…
A collaboration between scientists in the UK and the USA has shown that gene therapy can give life-long protection to the light-sensitive photoreceptor cells responsible for colour vision in a mouse model of the most common inherited eye disorder. These findings are significant because they open up a new line of research to prevent nerve…
The optic nerve that sends visual signals to the brain must pass through the retina which creates a hole in that light-sensitive layer of tissue. When images project to that precise location, we miss them. This blind spot can be ‘shrunk’ despite the fact that the hole in our visual field cannot be. The findings…
A Cleveland Clinic lab has found evidence to support the theory that age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an inflammatory disease with varying ways to progress to advanced dry and wet AMD. Focusing on proteomic studies to discover biomarkers and molecular mechanisms of AMD and glaucoma, John W. Crabb, PhD, and his colleagues found many proteins…
Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (or AMD) is the most common cause of vision loss in people over age 50, affecting about 10 million Americans. While there’s currently no cure for AMD there are some things you can do if you’re high risk. One option is to talk to your doctor about…
Retinal detachment can occur as a result of either blunt trauma or as a side effect of a variety of ophthalmic diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, ocular tumors, and age-related macular degeneration. There is a significant increase in the immune system’s ‘alternative complement pathway’ following retinal detachment, researchers report, adding that this pathway facilitated early photoreceptor…