AMD Update: Emerging Technologies for Treating AMD

This is a summary of some of the latest technologies that have been covered reccently:

The Ellex 2RT Retina Regeneration Therapy

 2RT is the use of  non-thermal laser pulses to “stimulate” the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. This in turn causes the RPE cells to migrate and release metalloproteinases, which are the enzymes that “clean” Bruch’s membrane. This, in turn increases the transport of water and chemicals through Bruchs to rejuvinate the retina.

Visualization of Living RPE Cells

In February of this year, David Williams and his research group at the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester announced that they had used adaptive optics to image RPE cells in vivo.

Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment for AMD

I came across an article that appeared in the April 19, 2009 issue of the London Times Online, describing the work of Professor Peter Coffey of the London Project to Cure Blindness and Dr. Lyndon da Cruz, a surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

Their process involves replacing a layer of degenerated retinal cells with new ones, created from embryonic stem cells, pioneered by scientists and surgeons from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital. Further, Pfizer has announced one of its new companies, Pfizer Regenerative Medicine, launched last year, will be providing  financial backing of this project to bring the therapy to fruition. The undifferentiated embryonic stem cells will be transformed into differentiated  replicas of the degenerated RPE cells, placed on a membrane and inserted into the back of the retina.