Repurposing medications for treatment of age-related macular degeneration: Insights from novel approaches to data mining

Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2023 May;248(9):798-810. doi: 10.1177/15353702231181188. Epub 2023 Jul 15.

Abstract

The economic and visual burdens associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are expected to significantly increase in the coming years. As of now, interventions to delay or prevent AMD are limited. Hence, there is an urgent and unmet need to expand our therapeutic tools for AMD in a manner, that is, both efficient and cost-effective. In this review, we consider the idea of drug repurposing, in which existing medications with other indications can be re-imagined for treating AMD. We detail the results of several population-level studies that have shown associations between several candidates and decreased risk of AMD development or progression. Such candidates include the more extensively studied metformin and statins, in addition to recently identified candidates fluoxetine and l-DOPA (levodopa) that show promise. We then briefly explore results from an advanced bioinformatics study, which provides further evidence that existing medications are associated with AMD risk genes. Many of these candidates warrant further study in prospective, clinical trials, where their potential causal relationships with AMD can be thoroughly assessed.

Keywords: Age-related macular degeneration; big data; bioinformatics; drug repurposing; ophthalmology; retina.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Data Mining
  • Drug Repositioning
  • Humans
  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors* / therapeutic use
  • Levodopa / therapeutic use
  • Macular Degeneration* / drug therapy
  • Macular Degeneration* / prevention & control
  • Prospective Studies

Substances

  • Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
  • Levodopa