New funding from Clem Jones Community Partnerships is bringing Bond University researchers a step closer to human trials of a treatment that could restore sight to people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The $300,000 contribution, matched by the university, will fund the next round of preclinical testing before the stem cell-based therapy can be trialled in humans.
The therapy being developed by Bond University’s Clem Jones Centre for Regenerative Medicine aims to replace retinal cells destroyed by AMD, which affects about 1.5 million Australians and is the leading cause of blindness in the country.
AMD occurs when the central part of the retina (the macula) progressively deteriorates with age, leading to gradual loss of sharp, central vision.
The Bond scientists have already grown retinal cells from stem cells, and early studies in rats with retinal damage found the treatment improved vision.
The next phase of the research will test the therapy in pigs, whose eyes closely resemble those of humans.
Researchers will use the studies to assess safety and refine surgical techniques ahead of future human trials.
Director of the Clem Jones Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Associate Professor Nigel Barnett, said the funding was an important step forward for the research.
“It brings us closer to the possibility of a human clinical trial, something that would not be achievable without the generous support of donors like the Clem Jones Foundation and others,” he said.
Searching for a cure for AMD has been Dr Barnett’s life’s work, beginning more than 30 years ago and becoming deeply personal when his father developed the condition in his seventies.
“It made me realise just how devastating the condition truly is.”
He said the long timelines involved in medical research demand persistence and a long-term perspective.
“Most of the medical breakthroughs that we all enjoy the benefit of today took years to develop.
“I’m glad those scientists didn’t give up. Someone, years from now, may be glad that we didn’t give up.”
The latest investment builds on $4.485 million already committed from Clem Jones philanthropy to the Clem Jones Centre for Regenerative Medicine.
The centre has received national recognition, having been invited to join the Cooperative Research Centre for Solutions for Manufacturing Advanced Regenerative Therapies, a national consortium focused on translating laboratory breakthroughs into clinical treatments.