Barney, Nate; Paterson, Chase: Farjood, Farhod; Vargis, Elizabeth (Utah State University)
Faculty Advisor: Vargis, Elizabeth (College of Engineering, Biological Engineering Department)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world. Often the cause of irreversible blindness is abnormal blood vessel growth, or angiogenesis, into the retina during AMD. This abnormal vascular growth affects a tissue monolayer called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE cells transport nutrients and maintain the photoreceptors of the eye. The loss of cells in the RPE layer can cause photoreceptor death and consequently blind spots in an individual's vision that steadily increase in size as AMD progresses. Early research suggests RPE cell disruption plays a role in abnormal angiogenesis as RPE cells lacking neighbors have higher production rates of angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). To better understand the effects of RPE detachment on angiogenesis, cells can be grown and characterized in vitro. This research can lead to an in vitro model of degeneration in the human retina that could be used to investigate specific causes of abnormal angiogenesis and potential therapeutics. Our research to date has shown the benefits of using micropatterning as a technique to simulate the areas of cell-cell detachment. To do so, we used photolithography to create thin PDMS stencils with 100 _m holes. ARPE-19 cells were grown across the stencil until confluent, and the stencil was peeled away to cause controlled cell-cell detachment. The concentration of angiogenic factors can then be analyzed to see the effects of cell-cell detachment. My ongoing research will include the use of human RPE cells and analyzing retinal images that show varying levels of degeneration to create micropatterns that are more representative of retinal degeneration during AMD.