Home / Imaging

Imaging

Advanced imaging technologies have changed the medical community’s understanding of Macular Telangiectasia type 2. These technologies capture very high-resolution pictures of the retina, in some cases down to the cellular level.  Many of the specialized imaging systems used by LMRI-affiliated researchers are not widely available. This includes adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCT-A). Other imaging technologies, like optical coherence tomography (OCT) and microperimetry, are in use by members of the MacTel clinical community around the world.

En face OCT image of the inner/outer segment junctions of photoreceptors in a MacTel retina. There is a disruption of photoreceptors in the foveal region. Image courtesy of Dr. Roorda.

En face OCT image of the inner/outer segment junctions of photoreceptors in a MacTel retina. There is a disruption of photoreceptors in the foveal region. Image courtesy of Dr. Roorda.

Scientists and clinicians have applied advanced retinal imaging to learn about clinical characteristics of MacTel, the progression of the disease, and the cellular changes that occur in the retina.

 

Investigators:

Mina Chung
Austin Roorda
Joseph Carroll
Daniel Pauleikhoff
Frank Holz
Jacque Duncan
David Williams

Adaptive OpticsOCT


Moorfields Reading Center

The Moorfields Reading Centre evaluates all ophthalmic images collected as part of the MacTel Project Registry and the Natural History Observation Study, and offers the official diagnosis of MacTel for patients who participate in these research projects.

The Moorfields Reading Centre for ophthalmic images was established by the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University College London Institute of Ophthalmology.  The Moorfields Reading Centre was established because there was a recognized need for a center that could create robust ophthalmic surveys and clinical trial project designs.  Clinical trials were hampered by an inability to develop robust outcome measures, in part because ophthalmic diseases had not been thoroughly characterized.  The Reading Centre serves as an unbiased, independent center for image analysis.

The Reading Centre standardizes the definition of diseased states, relating to the retina.  They also standardize what is classified as an abnormality in ophthalmic images.  They collect measurements from images, and grade images, so that changes can be recognized.

The classification of disease status has been extremely important to the MacTel Project.  One aspect of the MacTel Project is to analyze families with macular telangiectasia type 2.  Following the identification of one individual in a family with MacTel (the “proband”), their relatives may be examined for MacTel.  The Moorfields Reading Centre determines if family members are affected or unaffected.   This can be difficult for an age-related disease, where it is possible that an individual is not yet showing all of the symptoms of disease that would lead to a definitive diagnosis.

Duke Reading Center

The Duke Reading Center, located in North Carolina, is primarily a contract research center comprised of a group of ocular imaging, clinical trial, and biostatistics specialists.  The Duke Reading Center advises sponsors of ophthalmic clinical trials on the design and execution of their studies, reads ophthalmic images for clinical studies, and performs statistical analyses of image data.  They also certify and train study-site personnel in the capture and submission of ophthalmic images to the Reading Center according to study protocols.

The Duke Reading Center is the designated reading center for the NT-501 clinical trial.

  • MacTel SAFE Study

    Read More

  • MacTel Project 2023 Annual Meeting Summary

    Read More

  • Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) in Macular Telangiectasia Type 2 (MacTel) Patients with and without Diabetes

    Read More

  • iPSC-derived retinal pigmented epithelial cells from patients with macular telangiectasia show decreased mitochondrial function

    Read More

  • Macular Telangiectasia Type 2: A Classification System Using Mulit-Modal Imaging MacTel Project Report Number 10

    Read More

  • Positive Phase 3 Topline Results Announced for NT-501 Implant in MacTel

    Read More

  • Description of a patient cohort with Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy Type 1 without retinal disease Macular Telangiectasia type 2 – implications for retinal screening in HSN1

    Read More

  • Cell-specific cis-regulatory elements and mechanisms of non-coding genetic disease in human retina and retinal organoids

    Read More

  • Impairments in Cone Pigment Regeneration and Absolute Threshold in Macular Telangiectasia Type 2

    Read More

  • Intraretinal pigmented cells in retinal degenerative disease

    Read More