Embryonic stem cells are taking an important step toward becoming a treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) thanks to Pfizer’s expected announcement that they will financially back development of this therapeutic approach at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.

Owings Mills, MD - March 26, 2009 — An innovative technology, employing a tiny capsule implanted in the eye, is stabilizing vision in people suffering from dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT), developed by Rhode Island-based Neurotech, preserved vision in a majority of the 51 people who participated in a Phase II clinical trial.

FFB will fund a pre-clinical study, directed by a researcher at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, to test the drug RetinoStat on animals to establish safety and effectiveness in treating AMD.

Vision scientists are working hard to find a way to prevent wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its associated blindness. A new report puts statins and aspirin in the spotlight. Statins are drugs designed to reduce cholesterol in the blood and, according to the research, reduced the risk of developing the wet form of AMD. Aspirin, a type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, also reduced the risk of developing wet AMD.

MACUGEN (pegaptanib) is the first FDA-approved treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that inhibits the growth of unhealthy blood vessels underneath the retina. In contrast, most other available treatments for wet AMD involve procedures that destroy the blood vessels after they’ve grown. The proliferation of sub-retinal blood vessels — a process known as choroidal neovascularization (CNV) — causes substantial and rapid vision loss for people with wet AMD.

Genentech has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Lucentis™ for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Complement Factor H (CFH) gene — In early 2005, FFB-funded researchers identified variations in a gene known as CFH, which are implicated in as many as 50 percent of all cases of AMD. In early 2006, these same investigators found that variations in CFH along with variations in two other newly identified genes, factor B (BF) and complement component (C2), are present in 74 percent of AMD cases.

AdPEDF — GenVec has just completed a Phase I human study of a gene therapy for the treatment of wet AMD. The name of the treatment is adenovirus-based Pigment Epithelium Derived Factor (AdPEDF). The company believes that AdPEDF will preserve vision in people with a variety of retinal degenerative diseases including dry AMD. The AdPEDF treatment involves the delivery of a gene that leads to the production of the protein PEDF, which helps keep photoreceptors healthy, thereby preserving vision. A Phase II study of AdPEDF is underway for treating patients with early to moderate wet AMD. FFB funded earlier, preclinical studies of PEDF.

AREDS formulation — The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) — a landmark investigation conducted by the National Eye Institute (NEI) — determined that antioxidant supplementation can slow the progression of AMD. The AREDS formulation is an over-the-counter antioxidant supplement recommended for people who are at risk of developing more advanced forms of either dry or wet AMD.

Smoking increases the risk of AMD; it is the most significant, modifiable risk factor for developing the disease.

Investigators have reported that other risk factors for AMD may include: high blood pressure, obesity, heavy alcohol use, frequent consumption of processed baked goods, and long-term exposure to the sun.