Abstract
Presentation Description :
Retinal imaging provides an opportunity to visualize in vivo processes in a non-invasive manner that is not easily possible in the rest of the body. Increasingly it is recognized that imaging may potentially be useful in determining cellular function in the intact eye in vivo. DARC (Detection of Apoptosing Retinal Cells) is a newly developed technology that identifies apoptosing retinal cells through the use of an intravenously administered fluorescent biomarker and confocal scanning ophthalmoscopy. Results from a Phase I clinical trial showed it to be safe and well-tolerated. In glaucoma, levels of retinal cell apoptosis were significantly increased compared with healthy controls and predicted future disease progression. Although further clinical trials are underway, including Phase II studies in glaucoma, optic neuritis, Down syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration, and validation is needed, early results suggest DARC may have potential in the early detection and management of glaucoma.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.