Retinal and Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) Autoimmunity in Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2014-06-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
The investigators hope to determine if "wet" AMD patients differ from patients with "dry" AMD
or normal eyes in the production of anti-retinal pigment epithelium (anti-RPE) or
anti-retinal antibody formation. To explain: the immune system can make antibodies that
attack our own cells, specifically the RPE and the retina. Normally the RPE and retinal cells
are ignored by the immune system, but when disease occurs, immune reactions can occur, making
an autoantibody that can attack the patient's own cells and make things worse. This
production of autoantibodies that react with our own RPE and retinal cells is what the
investigators want to test in this proposal to see if they may contribute to, or are
responsible for, a poor response to treatment.
The investigators also want to know how those patients who initially respond to the
standard-of-care treatment, ranibizumab injections, differ in the production of anti-RPE or
anti-retinal antibody formation, from those patients who do not respond initially after 4
consecutive injections.