Bruce Berkowitz1, Robin Roberts1, Dave Bissig1
1Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
There is an absence of therapies for evaluating gene and other therapeutic approaches for retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. Quantitative testing of biological hypotheses using non-invasive methods for studying inner and outer retina function with high spatial resolution is expected to improve the development of new treatment options, but such testing is not currently possible. The results of the proposed experiments lay the groundwork of future investigations focused on how to more rapidly identify promising pharmaceuticals, drug targets, and schedules for intervention based on MEMRI metrics. Such pre-clinical diagnosis and prognosis are not currently possible.