TOGETHER WE ARE BEATING BLINDNESS

Using cutting-edge technologies to develop better treatments for eye conditions

Southampton researchers are using a combination of gene therapy, artificial intelligence (AI) and technology from the Hubble Telescope to understand the common causes of blindness and develop better treatments for patients in a truly bench-tobedside approach.

Our community of donors who support the Gift of Sight appeal have helped fund this groundbreaking research and deliver better outcomes for people suffering from sight loss.

Gene engineering

Professor Andrew Lotery and his team are pioneering a new form of gene therapy for agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) – one of the most common causes of vision loss. The team have identified 52 genes that cause macular degeneration and are beginning to study each one in order to understand their role in the mechanisms for blindness, with the aim of developing new treatments.

“Using genome engineering we can edit out a single gene from cells to understand its role in the deterioration of the macula: the centre of the retina at the back of the eye” says Andrew.

Gene therapy treatment is the focus of a current clinical trial for dry AMD. If successful, it could lead to the first treatment for the disease.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to understand AMD

Thanks to Gift of Sight donations, the team was able to buy a special retina camera. This in turn led to a £4m Wellcome Trust Grant, which has enabled Andrew to bring together leading experts in AMD from across the world.

The project uses AI to gain new insights into AMD. Through the collaboration, the team has access to over 500,000 retinal scans, each one containing one million pieces of information.

“Using the data we have collected from these scans, our computers can produce models of how the retina deteriorates over time. This allows us to predict who is at greater risk of progression of the disease, which will help in clinical management,” Andrew says.

From bench to bedside

The team’s research can quickly deliver impact on patient’s lives. Andrew recently led a clinic trial across 22 sites in the UK, focusing on the effectiveness of a drug called eplerenone. This is the most widely used treatment for another eye disease, central serous retinopathy (CSR), which affects the macula, causing blurred or distorted vision.

The result of the trial confirmed that eplerenone was not effective against CSR at all. “To many this could be seen as negative, but this is actually an important result,” says Andrew.

“This will result in eplerenone being withdrawn as a treatment for CSR, saving patients from harmful side effects. We can now focus all our efforts on finding more appropriate treatments for this debilitating disease.”