Quantifying frequency, progression and dynamics of Early-AMD lesions in a large population-based cohort by deep metric phenotyping of the retina

• Applicants: Dr. Franziska Rauscher; Privatdozent Dr. Marcus Wagner
• Subject Area: Epidemiology and Medical Biometry/Statistics
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 497989466

Long before visual impairment becomes clinically noticeable, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) starts with the accumulation of extracellular debris expanding into small lesions within the basal layers of the retina. By innovative methods of image morphometry and rigorous quantitative, automated analysis of retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans, we will establish a detailed phenotyping of Early- AMD lesions in metric terms, allowing for their investigation in unprecedented detail. In particular, we will be able to quantify their progression speed and to detect temporal or complete remissions of such lesions. Our methods will be applied to a large population-based cohort with deep phenotyping and completed follow-up available, thus identifying slowly and rapidly progredient probands and differentiating them with respect to associated ocular, neurobiological and genetic biomarkers. The interdisciplinary setting of our proposal, which is based on lively interplay between biometric ophthalmology and morphometric bioinformatics, will lead to unique insights into the preclinical stage of AMD and its dynamics, the closer study of which is largely missing as yet.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants