Research Makes Medicine
The SupportSight Foundation continues to fund groundbreaking research that was started many years ago by the Macula Vision Research Foundation (MVRF). Our mission to save sight for millions with MacD – is all we do!
Read About the Exciting New Progress to Find a Cure for Macular Degeneration
Title: As in Real Estate, Location Matters: Cellular Expression of Complement Varies Between Macular and Peripheral Regions of the Retina and Supporting Tissues
Contributing Authors: Randy Zauhar, Josef Biber, Yassin Jabri, Mijin Kim, Jian Hu, Lew Kaplan, Anna M Pfaller, Nicole Schäfer, Volker Enzmann, Ursula Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Tobias Straub, Stefanie M Hauck, Paul D Gamlin, Michael B McFerrin, Jeffrey Messinger, Christianne E Strang, Christine A Curcio, Nicholas Dana, Diana Pauly, Antje Grosche, Mingyao Li, Dwight Stambolian
8/18/23 Fantastic news from Regeneron!
EYLEA HD Injection Approved by FDA for Treatment of Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (WAMD), Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) and Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)
The cellular events that dictate the initiation of the complement pathway in ocular degeneration, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is poorly understood. Using gene expression analysis (single cell and bulk), mass spectrometry, and immunohistochemistry, we dissected the role of multiple retinal and choroidal cell types in determining the complement homeostasis. Our scRNA-seq data show that the cellular response to early AMD is more robust in the choroid, particularly in fibroblasts, pericytes and endothelial cells. In late AMD, complement changes were more prominent in the retina especially with the expression of the classical pathway initiators. Notably, we found a spatial preference for these differences. Overall, this study provides insights into the heterogeneity of cellular responses for complement expression and the cooperation of neighboring cells to complete the pathway in healthy and AMD eyes. Further, our findings provide new cellular targets for therapies directed at complement.
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Research Grant Information
As a public charity, TSSF’s mission is to save sight for millions of people who suffer from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and lose their precious vision. TSSF is a unique, innovative partner with the Principal Investigator (PI) and the project collaborators in ways public funding sources are not. As a private funder our position is founded on the premise that TSSF’s coveted vision research funds enhance other public and private funding resources secured by the PI and/or the project team members.
Research Makes Medicine
Vision Research Grant Program
This program supports basic and applied research directed toward understanding the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD or MacD). TSSF is laser-focused on the science conducted by experienced, published world-class vision researchers – Principal Investigators (PI) – who lead a team of researchers on the path to discovery. The PI’s whose body of research over time has developed and positively impacted preventative measures, treatments, and a cure for this blinding disease that affects millions of people and their families.
Preference is given to funding research programs directly related to the genetics, molecular, cellular, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of macular degeneration that cause vision loss. The Research Makes Medicine program may also involve research related to the development of new technologies for understanding, diagnosing, and treating retinal degenerative diseases.
We also consider projects where there is a need for additional funding that will advance or enhance an existing promising research project to completion. TSSF encourages “breaking down the research silos” that exist within the scientific community. Sharing ideas and findings is critical to the discovery of new treatments and a cure for MacD. In that vein, all proposed projects must involve collaborative partnerships between institutions and/or between departments within an institution.
Proposals by invitation only.
Purpose: Outline the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and functional difficulty.
Dawn taught me that research makes medicine and supporting retina research is why I continue to support their work.
John B.
