MV-6401, a potent photosensitizer in experimental animal models: a review of this agent and the current state of photosensitizing agents for the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration

摘要

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible visual loss in developed countries, but therapeutic options available for treatment of this condition are limited. Intense research oriented towards halting progression of the exudative (wet) type of AMD is being conducted, and a number of therapeutic modalities have recently reached the stage of evaluation in a clinical setting. One very promising approach is that of photodynamic therapy, which in principle allows targeted and selective destruction of aberrant blood vessels affecting the macula with minimal damage to the surrounding retina. A number of photosensitizing agents have been developed to date and some of them are currently being evaluated in clinical and preclinical studies for their safety and efficacy. The photosensitizer MV-6401 has been studied in animal ocular models of neovas-cularization with promising results. The outcomes of studies evaluating this and other novel photosensitizing agents, and the potential of each agent to become an effective treatment for age-related macular degeneration are reviewed in this article.