Possible topical treatment being tested for macular degeneration

A study conducted at Tufts University School of Medicine was recently published in PLOS ONE and details the findings of the research team's successful use of a topical compound that inhibits the symptoms associated with dry and wet macular degeneration. Researchers used a compound called PPADS in its topical form. PPADS words by preventing the damage to the tissues in the eye that deal with the person's ability to see color and minute details and also minimizes the growth of extra blood vessels in the back of the eye which is associated with the wet form of AMD. Researchers induced tissue damage and blood vessel growth in mice that had been anesthetized. Researchers then administered the topical PPADS every 24 hours for three days straight. A week after the last treatment, researchers then examined the eye tissues to determine if further damage and blood vessel growth had occurred. What the research team discovered was that the PPADS works in two ways: it stops the damage to the eyes by stopping a response by the complement system and then it also prevents the formation of the extra blood vessels. These initial findings will hopefully lead to a drug that can slow AMD by topical application and can be self-administered.*