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Research aims to personalize AMD therapies
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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Much like the development of anti-VEGF was transformational in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, the future identification of key pathways, potential therapeutic targets in those pathways and a better understanding of the disease could have a similar effect on treatment, Joan W. Miller, MD, said in the Pyron Award lecture at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting.
Miller discussed the need for developing new therapies for early and intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
“In order to develop the next generation of therapies for AMD, but in the early and intermediate stages, we need to think about the key pathways and the targets there, and then improve our understanding of structure/function, genotype/phenotype relation, develop systemic biomarkers, perhaps leading to the reclassification and delineation of subtypes in early and intermediate AMD. Ultimately, we would like to develop personalized medicine for patients,” Miller said.
By identifying systemic biomarkers for AMD, such as in plasma or urine, ophthalmologists could potentially identify patients with AMD, correlate with disease progression, and provide personalized treatments, she said. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference: Miller JW. Treating AMD: Back to the future. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting; July 20-25, 2018; Vancouver, British Columbia.
Disclosure: Massachusetts Eye and Ear has a proprietary interest in photodynamic therapy for conditions involving unwanted ocular neovascularization and has received financial remuneration related to the technology. Miller reports receiving a share of the same in accordance with institutional guidelines. She reports she is a named inventor on patents/patent applications on methods and compositions for preserving photoreceptor viability. She reports consulting for KalVista Pharmaceuticals, ONL Therapeutics, Bausch + Lomb and Genentech/Roche in the past 12 months. She reports holding stock options with ONL Therapeutics and receiving grant support from Lowy Medical Research Institute.