Investigating AMD-Like Disease in Animal Models

Project Summary

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) research has been hindered by the lack of models that encapsulate its complex features. An important feature of AMD is retinal deposits of fat and protein debris, but researchers know little about where they come from and how they may confer an increased risk of severe AMD in the people who have them. To address this, researchers have created two animal models that develop two different types of AMD-associated retinal deposits. This work will provide significant insight into the deposit origin, treatments, and causative relationship to severe AMD.

The characterization of these new animal models will help the research team build a foundation of knowledge to learn more about the cellular processes that underlie AMD. They will help researchers to ask questions about changes that occur in early AMD that are not detectable in the clinic, potential biomarkers of AMD and their relationships with severe disease progression, and new cellular pathways that they can exploit to develop new and effective treatments for AMD.