New treatment on the horizon for wet AMD

A new therapy that is being developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine is an invitreal injection that inhibits the class of proteins known as MDM2. Researchers are hopeful that this new therapy will provide a more effective alternative to anti-VEGF therapies that are presently the best available treatment for the wet form of macular degeneration. Testing the MDM2 inhibitors in lab mice, researchers found that the drug wiped out the leaky blood vessels by activating a protein known as p53. The p53 protein acts as a "master" regulator that determines if a cell lives or dies thus causing the death of the abnormal blood vessels. Unlike anti-VEGF therapies that target the growth factors that cause the leaky blood vessels, the MDM2 inhibitor actually targets the abnormal blood vessels themselves which causes them to deteriorate. In addition, the MDM2 injections are administered less frequently than anti-VEGF translating to less time and expense for the patient.*