RISE Seminars: Research & Innovation from Student Entrepreneurs
Jordan Marsh
Assessment of Iron Content in the Eyes of Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration using 7T MRI
October 22, 2021
12:00 p.m - 1:00 p.m.
Medical Sciences Building Auditorium Room 274
Virtually at https://go.medicine.illinois.edu/RISESeminars
Lunch will be provided with advanced registration by 4:30 p.m. on October 19th
Registration is required for in-person attendance at MSB Auditorium
Abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a progressive, multifactorial disease that leads to degeneration of the portion of the retina responsible for central vision. Post-mortem examinations of ARMD retinas have shown elevated levels of both chelatable and non-chelatable iron, consistent with the hypothesis that iron dysregulation is a potential pathologic pathway in the disease. The objective of this study is to determine if statistically significant differences in iron levels exist in ARMD retinas in vivo by utilizing 7T MRI. We will use a case-control design in which patients with ARMD will be compared against age-matched healthy controls to determine levels of iron in the retina. We hypothesize that ARMD patients will show statistically significant elevations of iron compared to healthy controls using 7T MRI, as reflected by a more rapid decay of MRI signal in affected areas. The potential impact of this study is elucidating a possible pathophysiological mechanism for ARMD: iron dysregulation. Furthermore, if findings are significant for elevated iron levels in ARMD patients, then therapeutic approaches could be designed to potentially reduce ARMD symptoms.
Jordan Marsh is an MS2 at Carle Illinois College of Medicine. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Utah. He spent two years working as a Patent Examiner at the USPTO before matriculating at CIMED in 2020. Research interests include discovering systemic disease biomarkers in the eye, critical periods in early brain development, improving treatments for retinal disease, among many others.