Structure-Function Correlation in Macular Degeneration

Principal Investigator

Project Goals

This study may be the first methodology for an exact point-by-point structure-function correlation of pathology within the central retina. This diagnostic technology is extremely promising to establish new surrogate endpoints for clinical trials and for monitoring treatment effects on visual function with highest accuracy.

Project Summary

The human central retina, the macula, is both the anatomical structure responsible for fine detail vision and subject to disease causing irreversible blindness. Remarkable progress has been made in high-resolution imaging of the macula using new technologies such as optical coherence tomography (OCT). However, the impact of retinal pathology detected by such high-resolution imaging on visual performance remains mostly uncertain.

To investigate the functional consequences of pathology detected by high-resolution retinal imaging data of visual function will be superimposed onto all topographic and tomographic images of the retina.

Selected morphological features will be validated and their applicability investigated as surrogate markers for future clinical trials in macular diseases.

This approach of an exact point-by-point structure-function correlation of pathology within the central retina may offer unique insights in macular disease mechanisms and may offer a perfect monitoring tool for any type of therapeutic intervention in macular degeneration.

Publications

Charbel Issa P, Troeger E, Finger R, Holz FG, Wilke R, Scholl HP. Structure-function correlation of the human central retina. PLoS One. 2010 Sep 22;5(9):e12864. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon

Troeger E, Sliesoraityte I, Charbel Issa P, Scholl HN, Zrenner E, Wilke R. An integrated software solution for multi-modal mapping of morphological and functional ocular data. Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2010;1:6280-3. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon

Finger RP, Fimmers R, Holz FG, Scholl HPN (2011) Incidence of blindness and severe visual impairment in Germany - projections for 2030. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011: Epub. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon

Finger RP, Fimmers R, Holz FG, Scholl HPN (2011) Prevalence and causes of registered blindness in the largest federal state of Germany. Brit J Ophthalmol. 95: Epub. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon

Charbel Issa P, Finger RP, Kruse K, Baumüller S, Scholl HP, Holz FG. Monthly Ranibizumab for Nonproliferative Macular Telangiectasia Type 2: A 12-Month Prospective Study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2011 Feb 18. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon

Weismann D, Hartvigsen K, Lauer N, Bennett KL, Scholl HP, Charbel Issa P, Cano M, Brandstätter H, Tsimikas S, Skerka C, Superti-Furga G, Handa JT, Zipfel PF, Witztum JL, Binder CJ. Complement factor H binds malondialdehyde epitopes and protects from oxidative stress. Nature. 2011 Oct 5;478(7367):76-81. doi: 10.1038/nature10449. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon

Lauer N, Mihlan M, Hartmann A, Schlötzer-Schrehardt U, Keilhauer C, HPN, Charbel Issa P, Holz F, Weber BH, Skerka C, Zipfel PF (2011) Complement regulation at necrotic cell lesions is impaired by the age-related macular degeneration-associated factor-h his402 risk variant. J Immunol. 187: 4374-83. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon

Finger RP, Charbel Issa P, Hendig D, Scholl HPN, Holz FG (2011) Monthly ranibizumab for choroidal neovascularizations secondary to angioid streaks in pseudoxanthoma elasticum: A one-year prospective study. Am J Ophthalmol. 152: 695-703. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon



The AMD Gene Consortium, Fritsche LG et al. (2013) Seven new loci associated with age-related macular degeneration. Nat Genet. 45: 433-9, 439e1-2. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon
 

Moshiri A, Scholl HPN, Canto-Soler MV & Goldberg MF (2013) A morphogenetic model for radial streaking in the fundus of the carrier state of X-linked albinism. JAMA Ophthalmol. 131: 691-3. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon
 

Charbel Issa P, Gillies MC, Chew EY, Bird AC, Heeren TF, Peto T, Holz FG, Scholl HPN (2012) Macular telangiectasia type 2. Prog Retin Eye Res. 34: 49-77. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon
 

Chen CJ, Scholl HPN, Birch DG, Iwata K, Miller NR, Goldberg MF (2012) Characterizing the phenotype and genotype of a family with occult macular dystrophy. Arch Ophthalmol 130: 1554-9. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon
 

Fritsche LG, Fleckenstein M, Fiebig BS, Schmitz-Valckenberg S , Almut Bindewald-Wittich  A, Keilhauer CN , Renner AB, Mackensen F, Moessner A, Pauleikhoff D, Adrion C, Mansmann U, Scholl HPN, Holz FG (2012) A subgroup of age-related macular degeneration is associated with mono-allelic mutations in the ABCA4 gene. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 53: 2112-2118. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon
 

Finger RP, Charbel Issa P, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG, Scholl HPN (2011) Long-term effectiveness of intravitreal bevacizumab for choroidal neovascularization secondary to angioid streaks in pseudoxanthoma elasticum. Retina 31: 1268-78. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon
 

Charbel Issa P, Finger RP, Kruse K, Baumüller S, Scholl HPN, Holz FG (2011) Monthly ranibizumab for non-proliferative macular telangiectasia type 2: A 12-months prospective study: Am J Ophthalmol. 151: 876-886. PubMed Icon Google Scholar Icon
 

First published on: April 01, 2010

Last modified on: December 19, 2024