DONATE MAINS

Capture decran 2017 03 06 a 10.06.42The research program led by Florian Sennlaub's team at the Institute of the Vision, published on February 21st 2017 in "Immunity", opens new perspectives for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of visual handicap in persons aged 50 and older. It is a multifactorial disease with complex pathophysiology. The early stages of the disease are characterized by accumulation of inflammatory cells, macrophages, in the subretinal space located between the retinal pigment epithelium and the photoreceptor outer segments.

The recent study of the group of Florian Sennlaub at Institut de la Vision demonstrated that complement factor H (CFH) genetic variant H402 - present in 10% of the population - potently inhibits the subretinal elimination of certain macrophages causing their prolonged accumulation in the subretinal space. The researchers discovered that the macrophage accumulation is due to the binding of CFH to the CD47 receptor and that the pharmacological activation of CD47 enhances the resolution of acute inflammatory in AMD.

These findings – published in “Immunity” - introduce a new strategy to directly induce the elimination of pathogenic macrophage accumulation in AMD by pharmacological activation of CD47.

Complement Factor H Inhibits CD47-Mediated Resolution of Inflammation
Calippe B, Augustin S, Beguier F, Charles-Messance H, Poupel L, Conart JB, Hu SJ, Lavalette S, Fauvet A, Rayes J, Levy O, Raoul W, Fitting C, Denèfle T, Pickering MC, Harris C, Jorieux S, Sullivan PM, Sahel JA, Karoyan P, Sapieha P, Guillonneau X, Gautier EL, Sennlaub F. Immunity. 2017 Feb 21;46(2):261-272.