Institute News

November 14, 2024 The following information was sent out via email to people who registered in the LMRI Contact Database.   Neurotech has partnered with Prevent Blindness to sponsor an online event with a focus on MacTel Type 2.  This free webinar will take place on November 14, 2024, 6:00 – 7:00 pm Eastern Time.  For… View Article

LMRI would like to share the following press release from Neurotech Pharmaceuticals about the BLA for NT-501 as a treatement for MacTel: Cumberland, R.I., November 8, 2024 (BUSINESS WIRE) – Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an innovator in sustained drug delivery for chronic retinal diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has extended… View Article

June 20, 2024 LMRI would like to share the news that Neurotech has received Priority Review of Biologics License Application (BLA) for NT-501 (revakinagene taroretcel) as a treatment for MacTel.  For more information, please refer to the Neurotech press release.  For questions about NT-501, we encourage you to refer to the Patients section of the… View Article

April 29, 2024 The following information was sent out via email to people who registered in the LMRI Contact Database.   This post will explain some (but not all) of the imaging exams that your eye doctor may perform during a screening or follow up visit for MacTel, and possible results of those tests. Further tests,… View Article

March 6, 2024 The following information was sent out via email to people who registered in the LMRI Contact Database.   LMRI is conducting the SAFE study (Phase 2a Study of the Effect of Serine Supplementation and Fenofibrate Treatment on Serum Deoxysphinganine Levels in Patients with Macular Telangiectasia (MacTel) Type 2). The study aims to determine… View Article

February 6, 2024 The following information was sent out via email to people who registered in the LMRI Contact Database.   The MacTel Project is an international research effort whose goal is to find the causes of, and treatments for, macular telangiectasia type 2.  The project was established in 2004 and is overseen by the Lowy… View Article

November 2, 2022 Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announces positive Phase 3 topline results for NT-501 implant in macular telangiectaisa type 2 (MacTel).  (Cumberland, RI) Clinically relevant and statistically significant primary results with the NT-501 implant demonstrated change in the rate of progression of disease in Macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) patients in two pivotal Phase 3… View Article

LOWY MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE – LMRI This past year has surely been an interesting and challenging one.  We hope that you and your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers were able to weather the events safely. Despite the many challenges presented by the pandemic, all our investigators and clinical sites are to be commended for continuing… View Article

September 21, 2020 Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, with support from the Lowy Medical Research Institute, is conducting a Phase 3 clinical trial testing ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in patients with macular telangiectasia type 2.  This is a multi-center trial, with clinical sites in the United States, Europe, and Australia. The clinical trial tests whether CNTF, a small… View Article

March 24, 2020 The rapid spread of COVID-19 has disrupted many standard clinical operations, including the LMRI/Neurotech Phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials testing CNTF in MacTel. If you have questions regarding upcoming appointments or other study-related questions and are having trouble reaching the study team, please use our contact page and we will assist… View Article

Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, with support from the Lowy Medical Research Institute, is currently enrolling a Phase 3 clinical trial testing ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in patients with macular telangiectasia type 2.  This is a multi-center trial, with clinical sites in the United States, Europe, and Australia. How do I Participate? You may contact a clinical site… View Article

The Lowy Medical Research Institute is hosting a public scientific symposium with a focus on vision research and vascular disease. Distinguished speakers include experts in the field of vision and cardiac research, with an emphasis diseases with a vascular component. The symposium is free, but registration is required. A reception with complimentary drinks and hors… View Article

Scientists at the Lowy Medical Research Institute and their collaborators recently published an article describing a role for serine and toxic lipids in macular telangiectasia type 2.  The article, “Serine and Lipid Metabolism in Macular Disease and Peripheral Neuropathy,” was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine on September 11, 2019.1 The findings… View Article

15-year effort points to treatments to help MacTel patients and offers potential new insights into other eye diseases LA JOLLA, CA–September 11, 2019– Scientists at the Lowy Medical Research Institute (LMRI) have discovered one cause of a progressive, debilitating eye disease called macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel). The work, using genetic, clinical and biochemical studies… View Article

Review by Jennifer Trombley, Director, Clinical Trials LMRI At a recent conference I attended, Kristin Smedley gave a very inspiring keynote talk on the task of parenting three children into adulthood.  Two of Ms. Smedley’s children have been blind from 4 months of age. They are both now productive, healthy adults. Ms. Smedley wrote a… View Article

January 16, 2019, Cumberland, RI and La Jolla, CA. The results of the NT-501 Phase 2 study sponsored by Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Neurotech) in collaboration with the Lowy Medical Research Institute (LMRI), have been published in the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology1. The study, a Phase 2 multi-center randomized clinical trial, tested… View Article

The Lowy Medical Research Institute celebrates its 5th Anniversary with a scientific symposium on translational research of the central and visual nervous systems, January 17, 2019 from 2:30 – 7:00 pm. The symposium will take place at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine in La Jolla, CA. Distinguished speakers include experts in the fields of… View Article

The Lowy Medical Research Institute 2019 Board of Scientific Governors Meeting will take place January 18-19, 2019 in San Diego, CA. This closed meeting is an opportunity for LMRI scientists, extramural collaborators, and Board of Scientific Governors to exchange ideas about MacTel research.  

The Lowy Medical Research Institute held its 2018 Annual Meeting in New York, NY on May 10-13 at the University Club of New York.  A summary of meeting highlights can be found in the MacTel Project newsletter.

February 9-11, 2018, Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego.  Members of the Board of Scientific Governors, scientific collaborators, and Lowy Medical Research Institute staff convened to discuss MacTel research in San Diego at the semi-annual LMRI Board of Scientific Governors Meeting.

Retina, the Journal of Retinal and Vitreous Diseases, published a special supplement to its January 2018 publication that featured peer-reviewed reports about MacTel.  The publication was supported by the Lowy Medical Research Institute.  All of the macular telangiectasia type 2 research featured in this supplement was carried out by investigators affiliated with the MacTel Project.  

The Lowy Medical Research Institute would like to announce the latest MacTel Project Newsletter, which contains important updates on the Natural History Observation and Registry (NHOR) Study, Clinical Trials, and MacTel Projects.

Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in collaboration with the Lowy Medical Research Institute (LMRI), today announced 24-month results demonstrating that NT-501 delivering Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor (CNTF) has a beneficial effect in patients with Macular Telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel). The multicenter, randomized clinical trial demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the progressive loss of photoreceptors in treated versus untreated eyes. NT-501 utilizes the Company’s proprietary Encapsulated Cell Therapy (ECT) platform that can be customized to deliver specific therapeutic molecules to the back of the eye for retinal disease.

September 9-10, 2017 The Lowy Medical Research Institute will be hosting a Board of Scientific Governors Meeting in La Jolla, California on September 9-10, 2017.  This will be a small, focused meeting between the Board of Scientific Governors and Lowy Medical Research Institute staff. The focus of the meeting will be a discussion of ongoing projects… View Article

The Lowy Medical Research Institute’s Annual Meeting was held May 3-5, 2017 in New York City, NY.

The annual Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting will take place in Baltimore, MD May 7-11, 2017.  This meeting brings together vision researchers from around the world. Due to the proximity of the ARVO meeting and the Lowy Medical Research Institute’s Annual Meeting, there are currently no plans for an LMRI-sponsored MacTel meeting at… View Article

The Lowy Medical Research Institute’s upcoming Board of Scientific Governors Meeting will be held January 27-29, 2017 in San Diego, CA.

The Lowy Medical Research Institute’s Annual Meeting will be held May 21-22, 2016 in New York City, NY.

The annual Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting will take place in Seattle, WA May 1-5, 2016.  This meeting brings together vision researchers from around the world. Researchers attending the meeting who are involved in MacTel research are invited to attend LMRI’s meeting. Please check back for specific details.

The Lowy Medical Research Institute’s Board of Scientific Governors will convene for their semi-annual meeting January 16-18, 2016, in San Diego, CA.

Two scientists affiliated with the Lowy Medical Research Institute, Dr. Peter Westenskow and Dr. Michael Dorrell, were selected to participate in a public exhibit that showcased the artistic side of science. Dr. Westenskow exhibited an image of the architecture of the retina, taken by electron microscopy. The image was taken in collaboration with Dr. Malcom Wood at The Scripps Research Institute.

The Lowy Medical Research Institute is helping to fund a study that will map intracellular connections in the retina.  The retina is composed of several different cell types, including neurons, glia, and blood vessels.  The retina has been studied at a sub-cellular level using electron microscopy, but these subcelluar snapshots do not provide a clear picture as to how the cells in the retina are interconnected.

The Lowy Medical Research Institute’s commitment to community services is reflected in all the organization’s undertakings. Members of the organization are personally involved in giving back to the community through outreach programs, professional societies, and community-building within the MacTel research and vision science research communities.