BEAT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility study to identify a biomarker of treatment frequency in neovascular age-related macular degeneration – The BEAT Study
IRAS ID
344639
Contact name
Richard Gale
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The leading cause of vision loss and blindness in the UK is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), affecting 700,000 older adults. Of the two types of AMD, wet-AMD causes a rapid progressive loss of central vision and if left untreated, leads to visual impairment or blindness within 3 years. Over 100 people per day are diagnosed with wet-AMD in the UK every year.
Current standard care treatment for wet-AMD involves regular injections into the affected eye with an anti-VEGF medication which aims to slow disease progression. However, response to treatment and treatment intervals over time are variable amongst patients. This leads to increased burden to both patients and hospital eye services. The ability to predict a patient’s response to anti-VEGF treatment upon diagnosis of wet-AMD would help to manage patients’ expectations of their condition and help hospital eye services better manage patient care.
Previous research has shown that individuals with wet-AMD have different levels of microRNAs in the blood compared to controls. MicroRNAs can be found in the retina of the eye and are important in regulating visual function and may be important targets in patients unresponsive to anti-VEGF treatment.
The purpose of this feasibility study is to identify an indicator of anti-VEGF treatment frequency within the blood plasma of individuals with wet-AMD undergoing standard care anti-VEGF treatment. Participants will be grouped based on a high-frequency or low-frequency anti-VEGF treatment burden and compared against a group of individuals without wet-AMD, not receiving anti-VEGF medication.REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/SW/0139
Date of REC Opinion
14 Nov 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion