Medicine

In recent years, ophthalmic drugs have enjoyed a relatively high probability of success in progressing from Phase I clinical trials to market, estimated in 2015 at ~30%. This clinical success is driven by good preclinical models, especially for wet AMD. In 2016 we developed a mouse model for mimicking the oxidative stress, inflammation and cell death characteristics of the more prevalent form of AMD – dry AMD. This model has opened up both fundamental science and commercial opportunities to better understand and develop new strategies for combating dry AMD.

The Clear Vision Research Lab has developed and incorporated a range of rodent models of retinal degenerations. While there is no perfect model to simulate all the pathologies associated with human AMD, we use a growing number of approaches to better understand the progression of AMD and retinal degenerations in general. These models also serve to test the efficacy of novel AMD therapeutic and diagnostic pipelines, with a view towards commercialisation and R&D avenues.

The benefits of exercise to the human body have long been known. Particularly in the central nervous system (CNS), regular exercise has been shown to improve memory, reduce inflammation and stimulate growth factors in the brain, and even prevent neuronal death. Exercise has also been shown to be an effective non-invasive therapy against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. However, little is known if such benefits extend to another part of the CNS – the retina.

Exosomes are small membrane-enclosed delivery vehicles (40-150nm in diameter), which selectively package and transport molecules from host to target cells. Exosome-packaged molecules can be proteins, RNAs and non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs). MiRNAs are endogenous ‘master-regulators’ of gene expression and a single miRNA can control multiple different mRNAs, often found within similar biological pathways. The exosomal transfer of these molecules, particularly miRNAs, can therefore functionally alter the environment of target cells.

MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, endogenous, non-coding molecules that are powerful regulators of genetic information. Despite only being discovered as recently as the turn of this century, miRNAs are already used in clinical trials as therapeutic candidates for complex diseases such as cancer. This rapid bench-to-bedside transition demonstrates the therapeutic potential of miRNAs, particularly for multi-faceted diseases.