Associate Professor Chi Luu hopes to one day find new treatment strategies for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Australia.
And to do that, he’s being funded by Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) to investigate the relationships between blood supply to the retina, photoreceptor health and AMD phenotypes.
As A/Prof Luu explains, abnormal blood supply to the retina in the back of the eye is thought to contribute to both the development and progression of AMD.
In the past, it has been difficult to measure this.
“Assessing this blood supply in AMD patients has not been possible in the past due to the lack of a clinical tool to visualise and image the dynamic properties of tiny blood vessels at the specific site in the retina relevant to AMD, called choriocapillaris,” the Centre for Eye Research Australia scientist said.
But that’s changed with a new imaging technique.
“We have recently developed a novel imaging technique to non-invasively capture the dynamic properties of the choriocapillaris,” A/Prof Luu said.
“In this research project, we will use this innovative imaging technique to examine the dynamic properties of the choriocapillaris in eyes with early stages of AMD to investigate the blood supply at the choriocapillaris in this disease.
“This research will improve our understanding of the causes of AMD and help develop new treatment strategies for AMD.”
The MDFA Research Grant
A/Prof Luu study was assessed by MDFA’s Research Grants Panel and the project was allocated $269,284 over two years. The grant was announced by His Excellency the Honourable David Hurley, Governor-General of Australia, at an event at Admiralty House in Sydney in May 2021.
Supporting research is one of the key aims of MDFA. Ten years ago, MDFA established the Research Grants Program. Since then, MDFA has become the largest non-government source of research funding for macular disease in Australia.
That’s possible only with the support of our generous donors, who understand that research projects like that being conducted by A/Prof Luu is our best hope for more effective treatments and cures for all macular diseases.
Posted: 19 May 2021
This research will improve our understanding of the causes of AMD and help develop new treatment strategies for AMD.
A/Prof Luu said.
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