More than 100 people attended the symposium, which focused on macular degeneration research, specifically recent breakthroughs and potential future discoveries. Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) patron Ms Ita Buttrose discussed her experiences with the condition, before keynote speaker, University of Sydney’s Professor Paul Mitchell, spoke about the major advances in macular degeneration research to date.Mitchell, one of the world’s leading experts on the epidiology and treatment of macular diseases, explained the importance of new knowledge concerning risk factors and improved diagnostic tests, before lauding the extraordinary transformation anti-VEGF injections had had on the treatment of wet-AMD.He also said the development of an effective treatment for dry AMD was a major global priority and that the increased knowledge regarding the genetics of macular degeneration was creating exciting opportunities for new therapies.Following Mitchell, fellow USyd researcher Assistant Professor Gerald Liew detailed the cutting-edge research he was conducting in the new field of metabolomics. His project, which is being partly funded by the MDFA, has the potential to develop a simple new blood test for macular degeneration and may also identify possible new targets for treatment.
Then, Professor Damien Harkin from the Queensland University of Technology described his work on a biological scaffold on which new retinal cells can be grown for subsequent transplantation into the eye, which will soon commence clinical trials.Finally, a wide-ranging panel discussion followed, which included the importance of funding through the NHMRC and the MDFA’s Research Grants Program, the importance of collaboration between researchers, and how future research needs to focus on dry macular degeneration.
