Treatment of Age Related Macular Degeneration with CD36 Receptor Modulators

年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）是加拿大失明的主要原因。近8万加拿大人 据估计，受AMD影响，随着我们人口的老龄化，这个数字预计将以每年10，000的速度增长。 AMD是50岁及以上人群中常见的眼部疾病，它会导致眼睛黄斑部的破坏， 它是由数百万个感光细胞组成的，这些感光细胞提供了观察物体所需的清晰、详细的中央视觉 清楚AMD有两种形式，“干”和“湿”。在前者中，黄斑部的感光细胞逐渐分解， 模糊了眼睛的中央视觉。干性AMD进展为湿性AMD，其特征是异常血管生长， 黄斑肿胀和损伤，导致中心视力丧失。目前，很少有治疗方法可以减缓进展 目前还没有治疗湿性AMD的方法。 拟议中的项目汇集了药理学、药学和化学方面的专家来解决AMD问题。我们的团队已被 确定了一种名为CD36的清道夫受体作为AMD治疗的靶点，并合成了调节 这个受体。这些分子已经在基于细胞的AMD模型和动物模型中证明了功效。拟议研究 将进一步开发分子，以了解CD36受体在AMD不同阶段的重要性， 用于治疗干性和湿性AMD的候选药物的开发。除了探索一部小说 为治疗未满足的AMD医疗需求，我们的团队共同提供了一个独特的培训环境， 高素质的人员在药物发现过程中的各种活动，从先导分子到临床前评价， 动物模型中的最佳候选人。从这个多学科计划的毕业生做好充分准备，找到就业， 解决学术和工业部门的现代挑战。

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in Canada. Nearly 80,000 Canadians were estimated to be affected with AMD and as our population ages this number is expected to grow at a rate of 10,000 per year. A common eye condition among people age 50 and older, AMD leads to the destruction of the macular, the part of the eye, which is made up of millions of light-sensing cells that provide sharp, detailed central vision needed for seeing objects clearly. AMD occurs in two forms "dry" and "wet". In the former, the light-sensitive cells in the macular break down, gradually blurring central vision in the eye. Dry AMD progresses to wet AMD, which features abnormal blood vessel growth causing swelling and damage to the macular, resulting in central vision loss. Presently, few treatments exist to slow the progression of wet AMD and no therapy is available to treat dry AMD. The proposed project brings together experts in pharmacology, pharmacy and chemistry to tackle AMD. Our team has identified a scavenger receptor called CD36 as a target for AMD therapy and has synthesized molecules which modulate this receptor. These molecules have demonstrated efficacy in cell based and animal models of AMD. The proposed research will further develop the molecules to understand the importance of the CD36 receptor in the various stages of AMD towards the development of drug candidates for treating both the dry and wet forms of AMD. In addition to exploring a novel intervention for treating the unmet medical need of AMD, our team collectively provides a unique environment for training high quality personnel in the various activities of the drug discovery process from lead molecule to preclinical evaluations of best candidates in animal models. Graduates from this multidisciplinary program are well prepared to find employment and address modern challenges in academic and industrial sectors.