The Ellipsoid Zone: Biomarker for Early Dry AMD

In this video interview about his Uveitis Subspecialty Day talk at AAO 2022, Dr. Sunil Srivastava discusses the current limitations in treating age-related macular degeneration, specifically dry AMD, and some new directions. He and his partner Dr. Justis Ehlers used the novel concept of measuring the ellipsoid zone on an OCT, the earliest tissue that gets affected by AMD. They are finding that early or high ellipsoid zone changes lead to geographic atrophy (GA) later. A phase 2 study of subcutaneously delivered elamipretide showed lower ellipsoid zone attenuation change over 48 weeks vs. placebo, which also highlights the ellipsoid zone as an early biomarker for dry AMD and possibly useful for early testing of drug efficacy.