£14million European-wide Macular Degeneration project is launched
A project named Macustar has been launched with the aim of reducing the burden of AMD across Europe. Led by the University of Bonn, and involving UK input from UCL and Moorfields among others, the research will involve 700 AMD patients from 20 clinical sites.
Researchers will carry out and monitor a series of tests over a five year period, in order to see if subtle changes in patient condition are achieved over time. It is hoped that the new information gleaned through the process will lead to more efficient clinical trials and drug development.
MACUSTAR is the first exclusively eye disease-focused project approved by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), Europe's largest public-private initiative aiming to speed up the development of better and safer medicines for patients.
Sources:
Macular Society:
European project aims to find new tests and treatments for AMD.Moorfields Eye Hospital:
EU project to tackle age-related macular degeneration.