Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes vision loss in millions worldwide. Central to AMD initiation and progression is the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which is clinically visualized via the massed autofluorescence (AF) of its lipofuscin and melanolipofuscin granules. We hypothesize, based on our imaging and pathology studies, that AMD can be staged and monitored by the expression and distribution of unique RPE fluorophores. We identified and characterized ex vivo spectral signatures of distinct fluorophore families in normal RPE, Bruch's membrane and drusen, AMD's hallmark lesion. However, the molecular sources of these spectra in the macula are now uncertain due to seminal imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) studies showing that a major lipofuscin fluorophore, A2E, is abundant in the periphery. Thus, the long-term goal of this 6-investigator collaboration is to develop AMD diagnostics based on hyperspectral AF for spectral, molecular biopsy of the RPE, linking clinical pathology to underlying molecular composition. Hyperspectral AF imaging, unlike conventional AF imaging, acquires 3-dimensional ?hypercubes? of data (2 spatial coordinates ? x, y - and 1 spectral - wavelength). We explored imaging data with novel tensor-based tools exploiting multiple excitation wavelengths to discover RPE spectral signatures and their spatial distributions. We propose to link fluorophores to granules, RPE cells, tissue, and AMD stages in 3 aims using a common human tissue source.
Aim 1 uses hyperspectral AF tissue mapping to understand AMD pathology at the spectral level in eyes with AMD and unaffected control eyes. We will map RPE flat-mounts by hyperspectral AF microscopy linked to a pathology grading system. Spectral AF components will be recovered mathematically and assigned to subcellular and extracellular features.
Aim 2 will quantify AMD pathology at the subcellular level by enumerating fluorophore-containing granules using structured illumination microscopy and 3-dimensional electron microscopy.
Aim 3 uses hyperspectral fluorophore identification to understand AMD pathology at the molecular level. We will determine candidate molecules for the major spectral components discovered in Aim 1 by hyperspectral thin layer chromatography and will verify their spatial distributions by IMS. Synthetic authentic standards will ensure spectral validation. Biological validation at this level is unprecedented for clinical ophthalmology, yet warranted by the size of the AMD patient population, the enormity of knowledge gap about major RPE fluorophores in human eyes, the availability of donor tissue, and the proven success of validating other imaging technologies. Our results will directly translate to clinical hyperspectral AF imaging for noninvasive, spatially precise early detection and longitudinal AMD follow-up, in vivo target discovery, and immediate extensions beyond AMD. From our discoveries will flow a huge range of experiments in outer retinal cell biology to deepen understanding of retinal degenerations.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes vision loss in millions worldwide, and central to AMD initiation and progression is the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). We will use the strong autofluorescence of the RPE as a probe for deeper understanding of AMD by harnessing hyperspectral autofluorescence, ultrastructural pathology, image analysis, and imaging mass spectroscopy for molecular discovery. This holds the promise of unlocking AMD mechanisms at the subcellular and molecular level, guiding new clinical devices, identifying new therapeutic targets, and opening new areas of outer retinal biology. 2
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| Li, Miaoling; Huisingh, Carrie; Messinger, Jeffrey et al. (2018) HISTOLOGY OF GEOGRAPHIC ATROPHY SECONDARY TO AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: A Multilayer Approach. Retina 38:1937-1953 |
| Dolz-Marco, Rosa; Glover, Jay P; Gal-Or, Orly et al. (2018) Choroidal and Sub-Retinal Pigment Epithelium Caverns: Multimodal Imaging and Correspondence with Friedman Lipid Globules. Ophthalmology 125:1287-1301 |
| Curcio, Christine A (2018) Antecedents of Soft Drusen, the Specific Deposits of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, in the Biology of Human Macula. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 59:AMD182-AMD194 |
| Curcio, Christine A (2018) Soft Drusen in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Biology and Targeting Via the Oil Spill Strategies. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 59:AMD160-AMD181 |
