Evaluation of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Genetic Profile Interactions With Ranibizumab Treatment Outcomes
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2014-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in North America.
This condition causes a progressive loss of central vision, the part of your vision that
allows you to read, drive and see images in sharp detail directly in front of you. The wet
form of AMD is characterized by the growth and leakage of small blood vessels into the
choroid layer of the eye, or the back of the eye. These leaking blood vessels disrupt the
structure and function of the eye, causing loss of vision, particularly the sharp vision
created by the macula area of the eye.
Currently, the best treatment for wet AMD is a series of injections of an anti-vascular
endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drug, ranibizumab (Lucentis). The clinical response to
treatment is varied. Approximately 70% of patients see a moderate vision gain (3-line gain on
a visual acuity chart), but there are 30% who do not see a similar improvement in vision.
There is no way to identify those patients who will respond with significant vision gain
versus those who will not experience moderate vision gain. Recent research into AMD has
demonstrated that genetic mutations are proving to be key risk factors for patients
developing wet AMD, with up to 80% of wet AMD cases explained by inherited genetic
variations. Scientists have theorized that there may be a genetic difference between those
patients who see significant responses to treatment and those who do not. The investigators
will be testing participant's genetic profile using the Macula Risk test and following their
progress through the standard treatment for wet AMD over the course of this study. This study
aims to demonstrate the association between known genetic variations and patient responses to
treatment.