Copaxone in Age Related Macular Degeneration

April 25, 2007 updated by: Kaplan Medical Center

Subcutaneous Copaxone as Treatment for Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration

The purpose of the project is to investigate in eyes with dry AMD, the efficacy and safety as preventive therapy of the immunomodulatory substance named copaxone which had been proven as safe and effective agent for a neurodegenerative disease, in arresting the progression as well as the conversion of dry AMD to wet AMD. The hypothesis that the immunomodulatory agent copaxone proven for a neurodegenerative disease may work in the eye is revolutionary and may open a new avenue of preventive treatment for the disease which is the major cause of legal blindness in the industrial world

Study Overview

Status

Unknown

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The formation of insoluble extracellular deposits consisting of misfolded, aggregated protein is the hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative disease in the eye associated with extracellur deposits named drusen. Recent evidence suggests that drusen formation and AMD share some similarities with another neurodegenerative disease named Alzheimer's disease (AD) which is associated with amyloid deposits. AMD and AD are strongly correlated with advancing age and the formation of amyloid deposits. In addition, inflammatory mediators and in particular activated microglia are present in amyloid deposits as well as in drusen, suggesting a possible common role for the inflammatory pathway in AMD and amyloid diseases. Moreover, Ambati et al described a new model of AMD in transgenic mice when an absence of normally functioning macrophages led to the development of clinical AMD.

Michal Schwartz and her group have recently shown that aggregated b-amyloid (Ab) induces microglia to become cytotoxic and block neurogenesis from adult rodent neural progenitor cells (NPCs). IL-4, reversed the impediment, attenuated TNF-a production and overcame blockage of insulin like growth factor (IGF)-I production caused by Ab. The significance of microglia for in-vivo neural cell renewal was demonstrated by enhanced neurogenesis in the rat dentate gyrus after injection of IL-4-activated microglia intracerebroventricularly and by the presence of IGF-I-expressing microglia in the dentate gyrus of rats kept in an enriched environment or in the animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Using double-transgenic mice expressing mutant human genes encoding presenilin 1 and chimeric mouse/human amyloid precursor protein (mice Alzheimer's disease model), the group of Michal Schwartz showed that modulation of microglia into dendritic-like cells, achieved by a T cell-based vaccination with Copolymer-1 (Copaxone), resulted in reduction of cognitive decline, elimination of plaque formation, and induction of neuronal survival and neurogenesis. These results introduce a new microglia phenotype as necessary players in fighting off neurodegenerative conditions such as AD and AMD.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

30

Phase

  • Phase 2
  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Israel
      • Rehovot, Israel, 76100
        • Recruiting
        • Department of Ophthalmology, Kaplan Medical Center
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

48 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Dry AMD in both eyes
  2. Age 50 or above.
  3. Signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Known sensitivity to mannitol or Copaxone.
  2. Skin disease or active infection of skin.
  3. Active fever or active treatment for infection.
  4. History of other active disaese.
  5. Premenapausal females not using relibale birth control.
  6. Sensitivity for flourescein or iodine.
  7. Inability to comply with study procedures.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Total drusen area reduction

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Kaplan Medical Center

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Ayala Pollack, MD, Kaplan Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

August 1, 2006

Study Completion (Anticipated)

April 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 25, 2007

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 25, 2007

First Posted (Estimate)

April 27, 2007

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 27, 2007

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 25, 2007

Last Verified

April 1, 2007

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • kmc060033

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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