Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Center
UTMB, Galveston


The AMD Center represents a multidisciplinary research and education program on AMD that aims to advance the translation of basic science into clinical practice and ultimately to improve the quality of life for AMD patients.

The age-related macular degeneration (AMD) research group at UTMB:

1. will focus on the health care priorities for the aging population since AMD is the major cause of blindness in the elderly [10 million people have reduced vision due to age-related macular degeneration in the US; 1.7 million of the 34 million Americans over age 65 have vision impairment due to AMD].

2. receive government and industrial support for continued research.

3. consist of Bernard Godley, MD, PhD, Eric van Kuijk, MD; PhD and Michael Boulton, PhD represent a group of recognized international experts with complementary expertise in the field of AMD research who have the necessary skills, vision and enthusiasm to establish a successful AMD research group at UTMB to represent the state of Texas. This group already has extensive established collaboration and contacts with the major AMD Centers worldwide.

4. help polarize research spread across UTMB Departments as well as other UT institutions which is pertinent to AMD.

5. is multidisciplinary and can span aging, cell biology, neuroanatomy, ophthalmology, pharmacology and clinical trials.

6. will provide graduate training programs for vision scientists and ophthalmologists.

Areas of expertise in the AMD center:

• In vitro, ex vivo and in vivo imaging of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium

• The role of macular pigment in AMD (mechanistic, predictive and therapeutic)

• Analysis of mitochondrial dysfunction at the structural and DNA levels in the aging retina and AMD patients.

• The structure an toxicity of lipofuscin and melanosomes

• Protein misfolding and mitochondrial dysfunction in AMD

• DNA damage and repair in retinal cells

• The mechanisms for chronic light damage in the aging retina and AMD

• The role of oxidative stress in retinal damage and AMD

• The importance of antioxidants in the treatment of AMD manipulation of pro- and anti-angiogenic factors in the regulation of choroidal neovascularization and retinal repair

• Clinical trials

• Teaching graduate students aspects of the vision sciences both directly and by e-learning