Simon Nusinovici |Singapore Eye Research Institute; Tham Yih Chung, Co-I | SERI; Zhou Lei, Co-I | SERI; Teo Yi; Chong Kelvin | SNEC
Competition Sponsor: Ministry of Health and National Research Foundation of Singapore
Awardee year: 2022
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly, yet treatments are lacking. Statin has been thought to be of possible interest for AMD therapeutic, however, studies have shown discrepant results. Therefore, this question does not have yet a clear answer despite the important clinical implications. Based on recent findings regarding the pathophysiology of the disease, we hypothesize that the effect of statin on the risk of AMD depends on the genetic characteristics. Preliminary analyses conducted in the Singapore Epidemiology of Eye Diseases (SEED) cohort indicated that the effect of statin medication could vary according to a gene. In this grant, we first propose to replicate these analyses in two external cohorts (Australia and Ireland). Secondly, we will measure the levels of proteins coded by the gene previously identified. This will allow us to investigate the underlying biological mechanisms. If successful, this will open up the avenue for a possible personalized AMD treatment based on genotype profile.