Reduced extracellular matrix survival and altered metabolic activity in iPSC-derived RPE cells from AMD patients. Reduced extracellular matrix survival and altered metabolic activity in iPSC-derived RPE cells from AMD patients

Comparing iPS derived RPE cells from human AMD and non-AMD donors It has been a challenge to model retinal disorders such as geographic atrophy (GA) in in vivo animals, primarily because several factors, including genetics and aging itself, contribute to disease phenotype of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We generated retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells from patients with advanced AMD and assessed their ability to model disease. We observed alterations in the transcriptome of AMD patients compared to non-diseased controls. RPE cells from AMD patients displayed decreases in mitochondrial function (basal respiration and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production) compared with non-diseased controls. Using a system of mimicing AMD diseased ECM, we showed RPE cells derived from patients with AMD have a reduced ability to survive and proliferate on nitrite-modified extracellular matrix (ECM) when compared to non-diseased controls. These results demonstrate changes in the cell biology and phenotype of RPE cells from patients with advanced AMD, providing a platform for disease modeling to understand AMD pathophysiology. Overall design: RPE cells were differentiated from iPScs of patients with four (4) advanced AMD and age matched three (3) non-AMD donors.