Clinical Research Directory

A Study to Learn How Avacincaptad Pegol (Izervay™) is Used in Clinical Practice in People Who Have Geographic Atrophy

This study is for people who have geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD happens when the macula, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye called the retina, becomes damaged and causes a person's central vision to worsen. Geographic atrophy is an advanced form of AMD where cells in the retina waste away and die. Over time this can lead to permanent loss of vision. Avacincaptad pegol can help slow down the worsening or progression of geographic atrophy. Avacincaptad pegol is a treatment approved in the US to treat geographic atrophy. This study is about collecting information on how people with geographic atrophy are treated in routine clinical practice. This includes recording any medical problems from avacincaptad pegol. This is known as an observational study. Information will be collected from the peoples' medical records during and after treatment. The people in this study will have geographic atrophy in 1 or both eyes and they and their doctor has decided they will be treated with avacincaptad pegol. The individual's doctor decides on treatment, not the study sponsor (Astellas). People that want to take part in the study will have eye examinations that they would usually have as part of their routine care. People will also be asked to complete surveys about their eye health. These surveys will occur when treatment starts and then every 6 months for the first 2 years. After 2 years the surveys will happen once a year. The people on the study can take part if their doctor provides treatment with avacincaptad pegol and they want to continue with the study. The people on the study can take part for up to 3 years or up to 5 years, depending on when they start the study.

Artificial Intelligence-assisted Diagnosis in Ophthalmology

This is a retrospective, multicenter, observational study designed to develop and validate an artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of detecting and classifying major ophthalmic diseases (glaucoma, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and other retinal pathologies) in the Costa Rican population. The study will use approximately 15,000 existing medical images from digital archives of two ophthalmic centers in Costa Rica, without active participant recruitment or capture of new images. The primary motivation is that AI systems developed in other countries (primarily Asian, European, or North American populations) do not necessarily perform with the same accuracy when applied to Latin American populations. This study seeks to establish a precedent for the importance of locally validating any medical AI technology before clinical implementation.

A Clinical Trial of EYE201/MK-8748 in People With Macular Degeneration (MK-8748-003)

Researchers are looking for new ways to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD). Available standard (usual) treatments for NVAMD, such as aflibercept, may not work for every person. Researchers want to learn if a trial medicine called tiespectus (also called MK-8748 or EYE201) can treat NVAMD. The goal of this trial is to learn if tiespectus works as well as aflibercept to treat NVAMD.

A Long-term Extension Study of JNJ-81201887 (AAVCAGsCD59) Parent Studies in Participants With Geographic Atrophy (GA) Secondary to Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term safety and tolerability after an intravitreal injection (a shot of medicine into the eye) of JNJ-81201887 administered in parent clinical studies.

A Clinical Trial of EYE201/MK-8748 in People With Macular Degeneration (MK-8748-002)

Researchers are looking for new ways to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD). Available standard (usual) treatments for NVAMD, such as aflibercept, may not work for every person. Researchers want to learn if a trial medicine called tiespectus (also called MK-8748 or EYE201) can treat NVAMD. The goal of this trial is to learn if tiespectus works as well as aflibercept to treat NVAMD.

Factors in Learning And Plasticity: Healthy Vision

A greater understanding of plasticity after central vision loss can inform new therapies for treating low vision and has the potential to benefit millions of individuals suffering from low vision. The treatment of low vision is particularly relevant to the mission of the National Eye Institute (NEI) to support research on visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, and preservation of sight. The comparison of different training and outcome factors is in line with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria (RDOC) framework and studies in an aging population are consistent with the mission of the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

Factors in Learning And Plasticity: Macular Degeneration

A greater understanding of plasticity after central vision loss can inform new therapies for treating low vision and has the potential to benefit millions of individuals suffering from low vision. The treatment of low vision is particularly relevant to the mission of the NEI to support research on visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, and preservation of sight. The comparison of different training and outcome factors is in line with the NIMH RDOC framework and studies in an aging population are consistent with the mission of the NIA.

Feasibility and Safety of MB-102 in Ocular Angiography as Compared to Fluorescein Sodium

The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and image quality of the investigational dye, MB-102, compared to the control dye (fluorescein sodium) in healthy and diseased eyes using fluorescent angiography for retinal vascular disease diagnosis and monitoring.

Study of Zifibancimig in Participants With Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

This is a first in-human study to investigate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of zifibancimig administered through intravitreal (IVT) injections and via the port delivery (PD) implant in participants with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Evaluate the Efficacy of Faricimab in Patients With Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

If the subject who has nAMD voluntarily agrees to participate in this clinical study by signing the informed consent form, screening assessments will be conducted within 4 weeks prior to the first dose of the investigational drug. During the screening visit, the eligibility of the subject will be assessed and one study eye will be selected. If both eyes are eligible, the eye with the worst best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at screening will be chosen. However, if the investigator determines that the other eye requires more urgent treatment for clinical reasons, that eye may be selected as the study eye. After screening assessments and evaluation based on inclusion/exclusion criteria, eligible subjects will be enrolled. Vabysmo® 6 mg (0.05 mL) will be administered via intravitreal injection every 4 weeks (monthly) for a total of 4 doses during the initial loading period. After the loading dose, patients will undergo disease activity assessment based on imaging and visual acuity (VA) outcomes followed by the IP administration at Week 20. The treatment interval will be determined based on disease activity assessed at Week 20, depending on the results, the subsequent administration may be scheduled at Week 28 or Week 32, at the investigator's discretion. Thereafter, the dosing interval may be further adjusted in 4-week increments, either extended or shortened, according to imaging and visual outcomes. Throughout the clinical study, patients will need to visit the study site at least 10 times, including the screening visit. The number of intravitreal injections administered will be 4 doses during the initial loading period and up to 5 doses during the treat-and-extend (T\&E) period (Weeks 20, 28, 36, 44, 52). Thus, the total number of injections during the study will range from a minimum of 7 to a maximum of 9 injections. If the non-study eye also has nAMD, treatment with a locally approved therapy may be administered outside the scope of this study.

Learning Study: Improving Vision in Adults With Macular Degeneration

The purpose of this study is to test whether a kind of brain stimulation called anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) can be combined with perceptual learning to improve the ability of people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or juvenile macular degeneration (JMD) to read words presented to them on a computer screen better than if perceptual learning alone were used. In addition, secondary measures of visual acuity will also be examined to determine whether brain stimulation can allow patients to resolve finer details of an image. The proposed treatment is the application of a-tDCS onto the participant's head, with brain stimulation aimed at Primary Visual Cortex toward the occipital pole, while patients undergo six separate sessions of training. The investigators will test the ability of participants to read words before the start of the training sessions (pre test) and after the completion of all training sessions (post test). This is a between-subjects design, and half of the participants will receive true stimulation, and the other half will receive sham stimulation. The difference between the pre and post tests when receiving active stimulation will be compared to the difference when receiving sham stimulation, because the sham stimulation is not expected to influence reading beyond a placebo. The aim of the study is to examine the potential of concurrent brain stimulation and perceptual learning as an effective treatment for macular degeneration that may be used in conjunction with more traditional eye-based interventions. The investigators hypothesize that the brain stimulation will enable higher performance in the reading task after and secondary measures after perceptual training due to an increase in the cortical excitability of the stimulated brain cells.

Natural History Study of Inherited Retinal Diseases

This prospective, observational investigation seeks to delineate the interplay between chromatic vision deficits and both functional visual outcomes and anatomical retinal biomarkers in individuals affected by Inherited Retinal Dystrophies (IRDs). The study will recruit approximately 200 subjects, encompassing a heterogeneous population of IRD patients-spanning a range of genotypes and clinical severities-as well as control participants devoid of retinal pathology. All enrolled individuals will undergo a standardized battery of evaluations, including quantitative color vision assessment, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) determination, and advanced multimodal retinal imaging. The principal aim is to characterize the relationship between impairments in color discrimination and morphologic disruptions within the outer retinal layers, with particular emphasis on the continuity and reflectivity of the ellipsoid zone (EZ)-historically referred to as the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction-assessed through spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Further, the study will explore associations between chromatic perceptual deficits and underlying genetic mutations, mutation patterns specific to IRD subtypes, and the influence of patient age on the severity and progression of color vision loss. A key secondary objective is the clinical appraisal and validation of a novel diagnostic modality, the Moji Low-Vision Color Discrimination Test (Moji Test), which is specifically engineered to quantify residual color perception in individuals with advanced central visual impairment. The test's discriminatory capacity will be benchmarked against established color vision testing paradigms to assess its reliability, clinical sensitivity, and suitability for implementation in populations with severe visual acuity reduction. By incorporating a genetically and phenotypically diverse IRD cohort, the study is designed to enable granular, stratified analyses that will refine the understanding of structural-functional correlations in hereditary retinal disease. The inclusion of a control group with preserved retinal architecture and normal color vision function will provide essential normative baselines for comparative evaluation and statistical inference.

A Multiple Dose Study of AVD-104 for Geographic Atrophy (GA) Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Investigate the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Treatment effects of Single and Multi-dose of Intravitreal AVD-104 in participants with geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

Remapping Text in Sentence and Word Tasks to Aid Reading With Central Vision Loss

Reading performance in patients with Central Vision Loss will be measured with and without missing text being remapped to different parts of the visual field in a variety of different reading tasks.

Investigating Geographic Atrophy Insights (i-GAIN) Natural History Study

An observational study to investigate the natural history and evaluate biomarkers of participants with geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration

A Efficacy and Safety Study of Ranibizumab 10mg/ml Injection (Incepta) in Patients With Diabetic Macular Edema

Macular edema in diabetes, defined as retinal thickening within two disc diameters of the center of the macula, results from retinal microvascular changes that compromise the blood-retinal barrier, causing leakage of plasma constituents into the surrounding retina and consequently retinal edema. Thickening of the basement membrane and reduction in the number of pericytes are believed to lead to increased permeability and incompetence of the retinal vasculature. This compromise of the blood-retinal barrier leads to the leakage of plasma constituents into the surrounding retina with subsequent retinal edema. Hypoxia produced by this mechanism can also stimulate the production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increases retinal vascular permeability, causes breakdown of the blood-retina barrier and results in retinal edema. Diabetic macular edema (DME) is the most common cause of visual reduction in patients with Diabetes Mellitus. The prevalence of DME globally is around 6.8 %. Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is the most common microvascular complication of diabetes and the leading cause of blindness worldwide. DME is a complication of diabetic retinopathy that affects the macula, which is located at the center of the retina and responsible for central vision. Bangladesh is the 10th country in the world for the number of adults living with diabetes with some 7.1 million (5.3-12.0). In Bangladesh, it is therefore expected that diabetic secondary complications, like DR, will increase along with the rising trend of diabetes mellitus. The use of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies has revolutionized in the treatment of many diseases. In recent years, millions of patients have been successfully treated with these biological agents. Ranibizumab is one such therapeutic monoclonal antibody for intraocular use. Ranibizumab is a humanized, recombinant, immunoglobulin G1 monoclonal antibody fragment against vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and thus prevents choroidal neovascularization. The small size of ranibizumab allows for enhanced diffusion into the retina and choroid.

Safety of Cultured Allogeneic Adult Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for NAION

This trial will study the safety and efficacy of intravenous and sub-tenon delivery of cultured allogeneic adult umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy

A Prospective Observational Study to Assess the Reliability and Validity of the MLSDT

The goal of this observational study is to assess the reliability and validity of the 9-object MLSDT for evaluation of participants with moderate to severe vision impairment when tested without a wearable low-vision magnifying aid (eGlasses) and then with eGlasses. These results will be compared to ETDRS testing results for the same participants without eGlasses and then with eGlasses. Two cohorts will consist of participants who have vision loss due to STGD or geographic atrophy (GA) due to age-related macular degenerations (AMD). Normally sighted participants will provide a control group.

Implementation of the Intravitreal Injection Administered by Nurses

Introduction: Intravitreal injections involve medication administration into the eye to treat ocular diseases and protect vision. Through an injection, the medication is introduced into the vitreous cavity, an area located at the back of the eye, behind the lens. The intravitreal injection (IVI) is a minimally invasive process administered at personalized regular intervals. It is a common procedure in ophthalmology for patients who require it. International experiences demonstrate that administering intravitreal injections, especially by nurses trained in aseptic techniques, is feasible without compromising patient safety. The project presented is based on a new care model rooted in interdisciplinary collaboration in the IVI process, operationalizing it as a functional unit. This is a great opportunity to expand the scope of practice for nurses and to demonstrate, as has been done in other countries, that the same procedure currently performed by ophthalmologists can be carried out with equal safety. Objective: To evaluate the safety of implementing a program incorporating nurses trained in administering intravitreal injections within the functional unit of Ophthalmology at Corporation Parc Tauli. Method: Observational evaluation study of a care process within the functional Ophthalmology Unit, consisting of protocol application for intravitreal injection by trained nurses. Data will be collected from users receiving care from the intravitreal injection service administered by nurses under a consensual procedure within the unit. Users meeting the inclusion criteria will be eligible. Nurses will be trained internally at CCSPT by the ophthalmology team. User participation will be voluntary. Informed consent will be obtained. Data collection during the process of care will include recording selected variables. Data collection will be carried out between 2024 and 2025. The study will be conducted over 3 years. Application and Impact: The development of this project will allow for a safe, more efficient redistribution of our resources. The functional unit is based on a group of professionals who work and make decisions jointly. The new distribution will enable ophthalmologists to expand their availability for more complex procedures. In the future, it is expected to increase the number of users who can benefit from the IVI service and to initiate advanced competencies in the role of the ophthalmology nurse.

Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment Study II

This study will evaluate the use of autologous bone marrow derived stem cells (BMSC) for the treatment of retinal and optic nerve damage or disease.

Analysis of Biomarkers From Patients With Chorioretinal Diseases

This study was conducted to investigate the levels of ocular biomarkers from the patients with chorioretinal diseases including diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular diseases, age-related macular degeneration (dry and wet), and retinal degeneration.

NYSCF Scientific Discovery Biobank

The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute is performing this research to accelerate diverse disease research using cells from the body (such as skin or blood cells) to make stem cells and other types of cells, conduct research on the samples, perform genetic testing, and store the samples for future use. Through this research, researchers hope to identify future treatments or even cures for the major diseases of our time.

Recurrence and Predictive OCT Biomarkers in Quiescent Neovascular AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of severe visual impairment and blindness in elderly patients. The central part of the retina is called the macula and is very important for visual acuity. In wet AMD, blood vessels grow under the macula and leak fluid, which leads to swelling in the macula and vision loss. Patients who develop wet AMD are treated with injections into the eye. Today, the treatment can be stopped when the patient has reached an interval of six months between the injections, without showing any signs of disease activity. However, it is not unusual for the swelling in the macula to return and the injections then must be resumed. Today, it is not known exactly how many patients suffer from active disease recurrence, or at what point of time the recurrence usually happens. Furthermore, it remains unclear which patients are at a higher risk of active disease recurrence. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a simple and quick measurement method, similar to taking a photograph of the inside of the eye, to investigate whether there is swelling or other changes in the macula. With OCT, the retina is measured with infrared light. With OCT angiography (OCT-A), which is done in the same simple way, it is also possible to visualize the diseased blood vessels and other changes in the retina. Under the retina is the choroid layer of the eye, OCT can also be used to measure the thickness and circulation of the choroid. No large prospective studies have investigated changes on OCT, changes in the diseased vessels on OCT-A, choroidal thickness and choroidal circulation on OCT, and the risk of recurrence of disease requiring treatment in wet AMD. The study will be conducted as a prospective study at St. Erik's Eye Hospital, a total of 220 patients with wet AMD, where the treatment interval has been extended to 6 months without signs of disease activity, will be included in the study and followed for 18 months, i.e. up to two years after the last injection. Patients with disease recurrence during the follow-up period will be withdrawn from the study and resume treatment. The aim of the study is to see if there is a relationship between specific changes on OCT and OCT angiography and later recurrence in wet AMD, to investigate how many patients experience disease recurrence and to find out when the recurrence usually occurs. No previous prospective study has investigated these different parameters. Increased knowledge of how many patients experience recurrence of wet AMD requiring treatment, as well as a deeper understanding of which patients are at greater risk of recurrence, could have a major impact on the planned follow-up in this population. Furthermore, by improving the conditions for being able to identify recurrences earlier, the risk of irreversible vision loss could also decrease in this patient group.

Quest to Analyze One Thousand Humans Meditating

This study will be focused on assessing the molecular, physiological, and emotional correlates of an intensive meditation experience in the context of a retreat setting in a large 2000 plus-person cohort comprised of healthy and clinical populations.