Dr. Brian S. McKay, associate professor of ophthalmology and vision science at the University of Arizona (UA) College of Medicine - Tucson, has received a $1.7 million grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI) to help further his current research into a potential prevention for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
McKay's previous research reportedly discovered patients who take levodopa, or l-dopa, for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease are protected from developing macular degeneration. In an observational study conducted in 2015, McKay and his team reportedly found patients who took a synthesized form of I-dopa were far less likely to develop macular degeneration. And if they did develop the disease, the onset was reportedly delayed by almost 10 years.
The grant will reportedly allow McKay to follow-up with cell biological studies to determine how l-dopa’s effect occurs, and to determine whether I-dopa can be repurposed to to help protect people from developing AMD.
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Source: University of Arizona Health Sciences