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Gene therapy trial for AMD under way

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PORTLAND, Ore. — A gene therapy trial for people with age-related macular degeneration is now under way at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, researchers here announced.

The multicenter trial involves the pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) gene. which produces the PEDF protein. The PEDF protein regulates the formation of blood vessels, according to a university news release. Researchers hope increasing the PEDF protein levels in the eye will help to slow or halt the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Because there is only one currently marketed treatment for AMD, “gene therapy holds the possibility of becoming a powerful treatment for AMD,” said Timothy Stout, MD, PhD, a co-principal investigator.