Funds will support the stem cell research of John Nickerson and Sayantan Datta
The Dobbs funding will support the purchase of equipment that is critical to the ongoing translational research being conducted by Emory Eye Center's John Nickerson, MD, and Sayantan Datta, PhD. Their proposal, 'Differentiating Induced Pluripotent Cells into Retina Pigment Epithelial Cells as a Treatment for Geographic Atrophy in AMD,' outlines a process by which researchers will investigate the viability of using stem cells to regenerate a portion of the eye that is affected by AMD.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive disease that starts with the loss of central vision. Left untreated, it is the leading cause of blindness among the elderly. It is characterized by the decay of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer which eventually leads to the decay of the underlying photoreceptors. Patients with dry AMD experience geographic atrophy (GA), a condition which has no treatment.
The Emory Eye Center is thrilled to partner with the Dobbs Foundation, whose longstanding commitment to improving the lives of others mirrors our own,
said Allen Beck, MD, the F. Phinizy Calhoun, Sr. Chair of Ophthalmology and director of the EEC.
The generosity of this gift literally changes the landscape of our research, giving us the freedom to ask the questions that will, eventually, help us save vision.
The Emory Eye Center's diverse research portfolio has been supported by multiple foundation gifts, government grants, and donations for more than a century. The Dobbs Foundation gift recognizes the importance of maintaining ongoing research.
In recent years, stem cells have been used to generate functional RPE which has then been used as a novel treatment for dry AMD. The new RPE is injected directly into the eye to replace dysfunctional atrophic RPE.
Nickerson and Datta will focus on using induced pluripotent cells (iPSC) to create the new RPE. Their work will focus on improving the process by which iPSC is differentiated to become fully functioning RPE. In a healthy human body, RPE generation is supported by the Bruch's membrane. To facilitate this process with stem cells, creating a scaffold that mimics Bruch's membrane will be an important first step.
The differentiation protocol for iPSC to RPE is still not perfect,
said Datta. But we have some promising new processes that could change things. For instance, some pharmacologically active small molecules have been shown to significantly improve RPE differentiation. Larger sets of small molecule libraries are now commercially available and can be used to test their efficacy on improved RPE differentiation.
The team will also investigate the possibility of improving immune response to transplantation by developing stem cells that are stripped of the factors that typically trigger rejection. By using these altered cells for RPE differentiation they hope the transplantation will avoid rejection issues.
This is the sort of iterative investigation that requires a sustained commitment to methodical, well-researched trials,
said Nickerson. We are ready and very excited to begin this work.
-Kathleen E. Moore