Novel imaging-guided microperimetry testing to accelerate geographic atrophy treatment discovery
Associate Professor Zhichao Wu is a Principal Research Fellow and Head of Clinical Biomarkers Research at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), and a Principal Fellow at the University of Melbourne.
Professor Wu’s work more broadly focuses on overcoming barriers to discovering new treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), translating clinical research into practical applications, and evaluating promising new treatments for AMD.
He also aims to better understand the direct benefits to people with geographic atrophy of potential new treatments in preserving and maintaining vision.
What is the research study about?
Geographic atrophy, also called late-stage dry AMD, occurs when retinal cells gradually die, leading to patches of ‘missing retina’ (called lesions), which can affect the macula, causing loss of central vision.
Associate Professor Wu’s project aims to address the need for more accurate ways to detect vision loss in people with geographic atrophy, by testing a new, more sensitive method of monitoring vision loss from geographic atrophy.
To do this, the researchers will combine two types of eye test:
- 1. A light sensitivity test, called microperimetry, which measures how well the macula is functioning, and
- 2. A retinal imaging test, called optical coherence technology (OCT), which shows the structure of the retina and the macula.
How will this research help people with geographic atrophy?
Current research and clinical trials show that the loss of retinal cells can be slowed down with eye injection treatments, but the current treatments do not completely stop progression of geographic atrophy, leading to irreversible vision loss.
By improving the accuracy of detecting and measuring changes in the progression of geographic atrophy, Professor Wu’s research could accelerate the development and testing of new treatments in clinical trials. This could be achieved by reducing the number of people needed to participate in these trials, making future studies more efficient, overcoming a major barrier to treatment discovery.