Key points from article :
CEO Kelsey Moody provides an update at at Ending Age-Related Diseases 2019.
Generally in biology – cell type repeatedly stressed need to turnover cells to eliminate accumulation of damage.
Photorecptors (rods & cones) are in this category and are supported by the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE).
Lysoclear regards AMD as a lysosomal storage disease driven by lipofuscin.
Over time lipofuscin accumulates in RPE cells to a level that promotes pathology.
Drusen = extracellular junk deposits (i.e. outside of cells).
Mild and intermediate formed called dry macular degeneration (i.e. not neovascular).
Advanced forms where new blood vessel growth is leaky called wet MD.
Developing an exogenous enzyme treatment – target lipofuscin at earliest stage.
No human enzymes exist to breakdown lipofuscin.
SENS Foundation showed preoxidases degrade A2E in cell-free assays.
First time able to eliminate existing lipofuscin in vivo (in mice).
