Laboratory Research
Photoreceptors degenerate in MacTel. Here, an image taken in the laboratory of a retina with degenerating photoreceptors, shown in green. Models like this are used to study MacTel.
The Lowy Medical Research Institute supports a world-class laboratory research program devoted to the study of Macular Telangiectasia type 2. This interdisciplinary research program includes experts who study the parts of the eye known to be affected by MacTel, along with a team of geneticists with expertise in inherited eye disorders.
The laboratory research program complements LMRI’s clinical research program, and there is substantial cross-talk between the groups. In fact, many of our laboratory scientists are themselves clinicians, or they partner at their home institute with a clinical researcher who also studies MacTel. One of the strengths of the Lowy Medical Research Institute is our ability to adjust future research directions in response to observations made in clinics or laboratories.
The LMRI laboratory research program encompasses the cell types known to be affected by MacTel: photoreceptors, Müller glia, blood vessels, and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. It also includes the study of cellular and tissue-specific abnormalities relevant to MacTel, including macular pigments and metabolic changes. LMRI also supports a gene therapy program to develop tools for modeling MacTel. LMRI has dedicated substantial resources to identifying the genetic basis for MacTel through its genetics program.