Evaluation of an Oral Telomerase Activator for Early Age-related Macular Degeneration - a Pilot Study

Overview

Journal Clin Ophthalmol

Publisher Dove Medical Press

Specialty Ophthalmology

Date 2016 Feb 13

PMID 26869760

Citations 23

Authors

Coad Thomas Dow

Calvin B Harley

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Telomere attrition and corresponding cellular senescence of the retinal pigment epithelium contribute to the changes of age-related macular degeneration. Activation of the enzyme telomerase can add telomeric DNA to retinal pigment epithelium chromosomal ends and has been proposed as a treatment for age-related macular degeneration. We report the use of a small molecule, oral telomerase activator (TA)-65 in early macular degeneration. This study, focusing on early macular degeneration, provides a model for the use of TAs in age-related disease.

Method: Thirty-eight (38) patients were randomly assigned to a 1-year, double-blinded, placebo-controlled interventional study with arms for oral TA-65 or placebo. Macular functions via micro-perimetry were the primary measured outcomes.

Results: The macular function in the arm receiving the TA-65 showed significant improvement relative to the placebo control. The improvement was manifest at 6 months and was maintained at 1 year: macular threshold sensitivity (measured as average dB [logarithmic decibel scale of light attenuation]) improved 0.97 dB compared to placebo (P-value 0.02) and percent reduced thresholds lessened 8.2% compared to the placebo arm (P-value 0.04).

Conclusion: The oral TA significantly improved the macular function of treatment subjects compared to controls. Although this study was a pilot and a larger study is being planned, it is noteworthy in that it is, to our knowledge, the first randomized placebo-controlled study of a TA supplement.

Citing Articles

A Review of Telomere Attrition in Cancer and Aging: Current Molecular Insights and Future Therapeutic Approaches.

Iskandar M, Xiao Barbero M, Jaber M, Chen R, Gomez-Guevara R, Cruz E Cancers (Basel). 2025; 17(2).

PMID: 39858038 PMC: 11764024. DOI: 10.3390/cancers17020257.

Associations between shorter leucocyte telomere length and increased risk of age-related macular degeneration in women: insights from the United Kingdom Biobank study.

Xue C, Nusinovici S, Yu M, Chee M, Teo K, Su X Eye (Lond). 2024; .

PMID: 39719503 DOI: 10.1038/s41433-024-03566-4.

Association of Telomere Length in T Lymphocytes, B Lymphocytes, NK Cells and Monocytes with Different Forms of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Khalatyan A, Shishparenok A, Avetisov K, Gladilina Y, Blinova V, Zhdanov D Biomedicines. 2024; 12(8).

PMID: 39200358 PMC: 11351114. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12081893.

Optimization of biotransformation processes of Camarosporium laburnicola to improve production yields of potent telomerase activators.

Kucuksolak M, Coban H, Bedir E Microb Cell Fact. 2024; 23(1):196.

PMID: 38987741 PMC: 11234680. DOI: 10.1186/s12934-024-02468-0.

Telomeres: Dysfunction, Maintenance, Aging and Cancer.

Liao P, Yan B, Wang C, Lei P Aging Dis. 2024; 15(6):2595-2631.

PMID: 38270117 PMC: 11567242. DOI: 10.14336/AD.2023.1128.

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