Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies of Macular Degeneration
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 19 March 2026 | Viewed by 71
Special Issue Editor
Interests: regenerative medicine; free radicals; extracellular vesicles; RPE; anti-oxidant activity; oxidative stress
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries. It affects the central vision of elderly people over the age of 60. There are two forms of AMD, neovascular and non-neovascular. In the neovascular or wet form, the development of new blood vessels from the choroid leaks into the subretinal space and causes hemorrhage. In non-neovascular or dry AMD, characterized by the presence of changes to the drusen and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), dysfunction and degeneration of the RPE and photoreceptors occur as a result.
Multiple factors contribute to the pathobiology of AMD, like inflammation, lipid accumulation, oxidative stress, complement factor activation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, further to RPE cell loss. In addition, genetic variants and epigenetic factors like HDACs have been found to be associated with AMD. Several approaches were used to identify AMD-like mouse models with photoreceptor degeneration, epigenetic modulation, and treatment with sirtuin activators, anti-VEGF therapies, AREDS, etc. However, these treatments have limitations due to the crosstalk of multiple factors and early, intermediate, and end stages of disease. In recent years, therapeutic advancements in approaching multiple factors, the usage of NAD modulators, and regenerative treatments have become more promising for the management of AMD.
Dr. Sankarathi Balaiya
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- macular degeneration
- RPE
- sirtuin
- HDAC
- oxidative stress
- antioxidant
- drusen
- lipofuscin
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