Doctors try to develop treatment for patients with severe form of AMD

April 7, 2011

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects millions of Americans each year. Because some people may not get frequent eye care exams, this disease can creep up and cause vision loss.

Scientists are trying to develop a treatment for a severe form of AMD known as geographic atrophy (GA), and a new study is suggesting that they're getting closer to their goal.

According to research published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), scientists are underway with a phase two clinical trial for a treatment for the disease, which more than 1 million Americans suffer from.

During the clinic trial, researchers tested 27 patients with GA using an encapsulated cell therapy (ECT), 12 patients with a sham surgery and another 12 patients with a low dose of ciliary neurtrophic factor (CNTF), which slows down the loss of receptor cells.

The researchers found that the ECT was most effective in keeping out antibodies and immune cells that would otherwise destroy CNTF-producing cells.

"This could open the door to long-term treatment of dry AMD, using a simple surgical procedure," said researcher Dr. Kang Zhang.