Examining the role of proteins in damaging the eye
We know genetics, age and environment can cause age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but how damage occurs is still not clear.
Professor Steven Krilis received a $400,000 grant over three years in 2015. He examined the critical role that two proteins – CFH and B2GP1 – play in damaging the eye, leading to AMD.
This project discovered that certain forms of CFH and B2GP1 protect the retina from damage, then developed a test to measure the amount of healthy and damaged forms of these proteins in the blood.
This new test could be used in AMD clinical trials to help identify patients with early AMD who may be at highest risk of disease progression.
Since completing this study, Prof Krilis was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019, and expanded his research portfolio into dementia, exploring the concept of the eye as an extension of the brain.
Posted: 1 July 2021
Creating a stem cell bank
This MDFA-funded project explored the genetic pathways leading to dry AMD, creating a bank of stem cells that researchers across the globe can access.
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