Objectives. The goal is to analyze the proteomics data generated by the O-link strategy (full set of plasma proteins) from donors diagnosed with AMD in comparison with non-AMD donors.
Rationale. A plausible hypothesis is that systemic processes contribute to the local degenerative changes that affect the retina in AMD. The systemic processes could be reflected by changes in the abundance of some plasma proteins. The differentially-abundant plasma proteins could provide information about the cellular and molecular mechanisms that contribute to AMD, which are largely unknown.
Research questions. The questions are whether some plasma proteins have significantly different abundance in AMD, and if they can be related to AMD mechanisms.
Approach. We propose to analyze the O-link data available in the UK Biobank (Record Table 1072), and more specifically the subset derived from AMD donors (>300 cases), for all the proteins detectable by the O-link technology. The set will be compared to 300-500 cases of donors that did not have AMD. The controls will be selected to have a similar distribution for age, gender and ethnicity. Additionally, information regarding AMD and known risk factors will potentiate the analysis (eye exam, fundus and OCR images, presence of genetic risk alleles for AMD, smoking status, BMI, hypertension, diabetes).
The differentially abundant proteins will be analyzed for pathways that could be relevant for AMD. If the results are promising, the time frame of the analysis will be extended, to take advantage of the O-link data that continue to accumulate. The project requires only de-identified data.
Potential impact. Differences in the abundance of some plasma proteins could shed light on the mechanisms that lead to AMD and its progression. This could in turn suggest interventions to inhibit AMD progression. Some of these differences could have a causal role in AMD and therefore correction of the differences could have therapeutic potential.
