The American Macular Degeneration Foundation Showcases Breakthrough AMD Research at ARVO 2024

Northampton, MA, May 9, 2024 – Seven scientists supported by the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF) and studying age-related macular degeneration presented breakthrough findings across a wide range of disciplines at this year’s annual meeting of the Association of Researchers in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the world’s largest gathering of vision researchers.

“AMDF supports more than these seven investigators,” says Matthew Levine, Director of Grants, Partnerships and Advocacy at AMDF, “but these are the researchers with abstracts of their findings at ARVO. By hosting them together, in a rapid-fire showcase of AMDF’s research portfolio, we wanted to attract even more innovative scientists whose concepts will eventually help those with AMD to sustain and improve their quality of life.”

“Our goal is to advance the development of treatments, tools and usable information that improve the lives of those affected by AMD and, just as important, a sense of hope that their future will be brighter,” says Chip Goehring, AMDF’s founder and president. “All of the projects that we support are directed by crucial patient needs.”

The AMDF research presentations at ARVO 2024 included:

• Modifier Gene Therapy for AMD, Stargardt’s and Retinitis Pigmentosa
  A revolutionary gene therapy approach that restores the retina to homeostasis, halting disease progression along multiple pathways and rescuing dying photoreceptors.

• Nutritional and Lifestyle Factors Can Affect Early AMD Transition
  Findings that, for the first time, establish the benefits of nutritional intervention during the earlier transition stages of macular degeneration in order to delay disease progression.

• AMD therapy using generative AI video stimulation of the visual cortex
  A neurotechnology-based approach to activate the visual cortex, providing AMD patients with central vision loss greater access to peripheral visual information.

• Performance and usability of AI assistive technology devices for people with vision impairment
  A study that will help low vision patients and low vision therapists quickly find the assistive devices that best fit their specific conditions and needs.

• Sustained VEGF suppression using small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology
  A low treatment-burden alternative to wet AMD anti-VEGF therapies that can be more efficiently stored at remote treatment sites worldwide (funded in partnership with Research to Prevent Blindness).

• The critical role of very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFA) in retinal function and the development of AMD
  Making the case that VLC-PUFA therapy could reduce retinal dysfunction in STGD3 and AMD progression.

• Impact of time-to-first Anti-VEGF treatment on visual outcomes
  A study that will help establish global guidelines for the urgency of getting immediate treatment following symptoms of vision loss due to wet AMD.

# # #

The American Macular Degeneration Foundation (macular.org) is a patient-centric foundation that supports potentially game-changing AMD research, education and advocacy in order to improve quality of life and treatment outcomes for all of those affected by AMD.