In Vivo Molecular Imaging of Neovascular AMD

Project Summary

The goal of this proposal is to demonstrate the usefulness of a nanotechnology-based approach for imaging critical biomarkers of early wet AMD.

In this approach, Dr. Ashwath Jayagopal and colleagues are using gold nanoparticles engineered to concurrently detect a number of AMD biomarkers. Once the nanoparticles detect their target, they emit a fluorescent light that can then be detected in the eye by a camera.  The team is testing whether this technique can detect biomarkers of wet AMD with high sensitivity, specificity, and safety in animals with wet AMD. Such a technology could enable improved detail in an eye doctor's examination, because it would provide a means for studying each individual patient's biomarker signatures for customized diagnosis and treatment.

This technique could introduce a new clinical approach for enhancing diagnostic capabilities in the management of AMD. Clinicians may be able to detect wet AMD at a point that enables therapies to be administered to the patient in a more timely fashion, better preserving vision. Furthermore, the approach could be used to monitor disease progression and determine whether a course of therapy is effective in treating the patient.