Pilot Study of the Evaluation of Sirolimus in the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema Clinical Protocol support contract designed to attain extramural support for developing, designing, interpreting, and evaluating clinical trials, epidemiologic and natural history studies. In addition, it will provide for outcomes research involving eye diseases and visual disorders and some preclinical studies. The focus shall be on the design of studies and the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data emanating from these studies, as well as support, and monitoring patient safety and follow-up. Contractor shall also provide analytical and data management support, as described in the work statement, for specified clinical research data bases, cost-effectiveness and economic analyses, quality of life assessment and outcomes research. This will include, but not be limited to, the following areas: analysis of Medicare and other health care databases;evaluation of existing NEI databases such as, centralized NEI Intramural Research database, the Eye Disease Case Control Study, Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study, Framingham Eye Study, and intramural AIDS and uveitis databases. Objective of Clinical Protocol: This study will test whether sirolimus, a drug approved to treat psoriasis and other conditions, can help patients with diabetic macular edema. In this disorder, blood vessels in the retina (a thin layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye) become leaky and the retina swells. The macula, the center part of the retina that is responsible for fine vision, may also swell and cause vision loss. Sirolimus inhibits a protein in the body called mTOR, which plays a critical role in regulating how cells divide and grow. Sirolimus is also believed to affect the inflammatory process. For both these reasons, the drug may be helpful in treating diabetic macular edema
