Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. New research using 3D organoid models of the eye has uncovered clues about what happens in AMD and how to stop it.
In AMD, a person loses their central vision because the light-sensitive cells in the macula, a part of the retina, are damaged or destroyed. This affects a person’s ability to see fine details, recognize faces, or read small print, and it can mean they can no longer drive.
No one is quite sure what causes AMD, but in a study in the journal Nature Communications, German researchers used miniature human retina organoids to get some clues.
Building a better model for research
Organoids are 3D models grown from human cells. Because they mimic aspects of the retina, they help researchers study AMD and understand what happens in the diseased eye.
In this study, researchers found that photoreceptors were missing, yet no dead cells appeared in the organoids. This led them to suspect cell extrusion, a process where cells expel large particles or are pushed out entirely. Here, photoreceptors seemed to be extruded, impairing vision.
In a news release, Mark Karl said, “We saw photoreceptors disappear, but no cell death. Half the photoreceptors were gone within ten days, yet they did not die inside the retina. That made us curious.”
Using snakes to fight AMD
The team identified two proteins that appeared to trigger degeneration in the retinal organoid. They then tested a potential therapy: snake venom. The treatment stopped photoreceptors from being ejected and prevented further retinal damage.
Karl said this marks the beginning of the next research phase. “This gives hope for future preventive and therapeutic treatments for complex neurodegenerative diseases such as AMD.”
CIRM’s fight against blindness
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has funded six clinical trials targeting vision loss, including one for AMD. We recently interviewed Dr. Dennis Clegg, one of the team developing a treatment for AMD, and he discussed the encouraging results they have seen so far. You can hear that interview on our podcast “Talking ‘Bout (re)Generation.”
I hope that these lab made retinas can eventually be used for other retina loss
Good MorningI trust you well?Are you conducting any research on the CNGA-1 variant of RP?RegardsIvoSent from my Galaxy
I have retinitis pigmentosa and I am worried about my future constantly now I’m on AREDS 2 but not sure how effective the medicine really is. Clinical trials are not often in Africa so I might have to wait years for the trial to get here and I’m not sure my eyes have years. I wish the clinical trials where more globally expansive.