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Age-related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic eye disease that is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly of the Western world. AMD is characterized by a progressive loss of central vision due to degeneration of the macula, a small region of the retina that is responsible for the high visual acuity important for activities such as reading and driving, as well as for color vision.
It is estimated that more than 50 million people worldwide are afflicted with this disease and that 30% of individuals will develop some form of AMD by the time they reach the age of 75.
AMD is classified as either dry (non-exudative) or wet (neovascular). Most patients (85-90%) suffer from the dry form of the disease, characterized by drusen (small yellow fatty deposits), degeneration of retinal cells, and a slow, gradual loss of vision. At the present time there are no approved therapies for the treatment of dry AMD.
The hallmark of the wet form of AMD is choroidal neovascularization (CNV), an abnormal growth of new vessels originating from the choroidal capillaries that hemorrhage and leak fluid under the retina. As much as 90% of the vision loss associated with AMD is due to CNV and its secondary complications.
The recently emerging standard of care for wet AMD is the injection of anti-angiogenic agents into the eye. This treatment modality aims to inhibit the growth and leakage of new blood vessels and thus addresses a late-stage complication of macular degeneration. Such therapies can temporarily halt progression in the more severe form of the disease but do not address its fundamental causes.
Potentia believes that the future standard of care for AMD will involve early detection and arrest or reversal of the disease process before it results in progression to advanced disease and significant loss of vision occurs. To achieve this goal, Potentia is developing drugs targeting the underlying causes of AMD, effective against the dry form of the disease, as well as minimally invasive ways of delivering these drugs to the back of the eye.
