November 20, 2017

Two New Antiangiogenic Drugs Under Study for Wet AMD and DME

Since 2005, anti-VEGF drug injections have proved effective for treatment of neovascularization* secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Several newer anti-VEGF therapies are also under study, including PAN-90806, OPT-302, ICON-1, RGX-314, and RTH258. All of these are described and sourced on this site. Recently, scientists have researched a possible counterpart […]

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November 18, 2017

Incidence of AMD Dramatically Declining

A recent observational study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has found that the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been dramatically lessening over three generations. After looking at follow-up data on 4,819 participants and their offspring in the Beaver Dam studies (1987-2013), Karen J. Cruickshanks, Ph.D. et al found that the incidence of […]

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November 16, 2017

Two Trials Take First Step Toward Stem Cell Treatment for AMD

Results from two new clinical trials have added support for the use of human embryonic stem cells as treatment for the dry form of macular degeneration. Stem cells injected into the eye appear to have replaced the missing cells damaged by the disease, with no serious side effects. One study suggests it may have even improved patients’ […]

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November 11, 2017

Brolucizimab May Be the Next Treatment Option for Wet AMD

Swiss drugmaker Novartis has announced that their new anti-VEGF drug, brolucizumab (RTH258), is meeting expectations as a potentially more effective and longer lasting treatment for wet macular degeneration than at least one of the current options. Positive results from two Phase III studies of brolucizumab versus aflibercept (Eylea) were presented at the American Academy of […]

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October 24, 2017

New Sub-retinal Implant For Dry AMD Entering Trials

(Updated January 2018) Alongside research to find ways of restoring vision through stem cell therapy and gene therapy, attempts are being made to restore vision electronically by means of bionic implants. In past reports, we have described the ARGUS-2, which has shown success in providing a basic pixelated sense of sight to the totally blind. […]

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September 9, 2017

Lampalizumab for Dry AMD Unable to Meet Expectations in Phase III Trial

Genentech has announced that the primary endpoint has not been met in Spectri, the first of two Phase III studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of lampalizumab. Lampalizumab, as reported here in July 2016, is an investigational medicine for the treatment of geographic atrophy (GA) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It was designed to inhibit Complement Factor D, […]

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August 29, 2017

All Avenues Need To Be Considered For Improving Vision

Presbyopia and cataracts are the most prevalent vision-robbing conditions older people. A paper soon to be published in The Lancet (Volume 5, No. 9, e888–e897, September 2017) estimates that, in 2015, 36 million people in the world were blind and 217 million people were severely or moderately vision impaired. It also estimated that 1.1 billion […]

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August 25, 2017

Promising Update on APL-2 for Dry AMD

Statistically Significant Slowing of Disease Progression Seen at 12 Months APL-2 is a synthetic peptide which shuts down the complement activation system responsible for local inflammation, tissue damage (as in dry AMD) and the resulting blood vessel growth (angiogenesis in wet AMD). Discovered by Professor John Lambris, University of Pennsylvania, APL-2 (formerly called POT-4) was […]

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July 22, 2017

Can We Trust Clinical Trials?

An analysis published July 19 in Regenerative Medicine reminds us to be cautious about believing everything we read regarding clinical trials. A good case in point is our earlier report about three women who were blinded by an unproven stem cell treatment at a Florida clinic in 2015. They had been misled primarily by thinking that simply […]

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July 6, 2017

Forgetfulness Can Actually Be Good For Us

by Dan Roberts Research published in the June 2017 issue of the journal Neuron (1) suggests that loss of details in our memories may be beneficial to those of us who are visually impaired. Vision is eyesight, memory and logic working together. (2) Visually impaired individuals learn from experience that when eyesight is less clear, […]

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