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Project: Chronic inflammation in patients treated for neovascular age-related macular degeneration - investigating new treatment pathways

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an irreversible eye disease that affects more than 60 million people in Europe alone. Neovascular AMD (nAMD) is an aggressive type that leads to severe vision loss in more than 80% of the cases. Frequent intravitreal anti-VEGF injections, which are required to control the disease, place a heavy burden on patients and on eye care systems - as is the case in the two regions (Östergötland and Kalmar) involved in this study. Despite the treatments, the disease reappears and requires lifelong invasive and expensive treatments.

Project information

Project manager
António Filipe Teixeira Macedo
Other project members
Camilla Mohlin, Per Nilsson, Kristofer Årestedt, Ida Nilsson (50%), Linnaeus University; Neil Lagali, Linköping University; Raneen Khudair, Ida Nilsson (50%), Kalmar Hospital
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University; Linköping University; Kalmar Hospital
Financier
FORSS, Forskningsrådet i Sydöstra Sverige; Ögonfonden
Timetable
2022–
Subject
Optometry (Department of medicine and optometry, Faculty of health and life sciences)

More about the project

This project is expected to place the two regions (Östergötland and Kalmar) and universities involved at the forefront of the fight against the burden of nAMD. One aspect that needs to be investigated is why the exudative activity associated with the disease persists after treatments. One hypothesis is that residual exudative activity in nAMD is related to chronic inflammation - which can be assessed by measuring key cytokines in the vitreous fluid and blood plasma in these patients.

This study will show whether markers of chronic inflammation correlate with treatment outcomes. If confirmed, strategies for controlling chronic inflammation in people with nAMD must be tested. The results of this study will pave the way for "precision medicine" in the treatment of nAMD, leading to more effective, safer and cheaper treatments.

Staff