Macular Degeneration Trial, Recruiting
Who may be able to join
AI generated eligibility summary. Written by an AI model from the official source data and checked on a sample basis. It can contain mistakes, so confirm anything important against the original source. How we use AI
Who might be able to join this trial:
- You are able to understand and agree to participate, or have a parent, guardian, or legal representative who can do so on your behalf.
- You have been diagnosed with an eye condition such as a degenerative retinal disease, optic nerve damage, a very small or absent eye, or another inherited or degenerative eye condition — OR you have healthy eyes and can serve as a comparison participant matched by age, sex, and ethnicity to someone in the study.
- You are able to provide a small skin sample (punch biopsy) and a blood sample, or if you cannot, you may be able to provide a urine sample instead (confirm with trial site).
- If you have an eye condition (other than Best disease, L-ORD, or AMD), you are at least 1 year old; if you have Best disease, L-ORD, or AMD, you are at least 18 years old; if you are a healthy comparison participant, you are at least 7 years old and willing to agree to take part.
Who may not be able to join:
- You are unable or unwilling to follow the study procedures.
- You have a serious health condition that, in the doctor's opinion, would make it unsafe or difficult to provide the required samples — for example, a bleeding disorder or a condition that makes you especially prone to skin infections.
For those donating samples to create special research cell lines (additional requirements):
Who might be able to join this part:
- You are 18 years of age or older.
- You are able to provide a small skin biopsy and a larger blood sample (about 200 ml).
- You are willing and able to also enroll in a related study called NEI protocol 15-EI-0128.
Who may not be able to join this part:
- You have a history of low platelet counts or other blood disorders, or a bleeding disorder.
- You have taken antibiotics in the last 48 hours.
- You currently have or have had cancer within the past 5 years.
- You have a history of exposure to certain infections spread through blood, including HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C.
- You have recently traveled to an area where malaria is present (as listed by the CDC).
- You are considered at risk for CJD or variant CJD, a rare brain condition, based on FDA guidelines (confirm with trial site).
- You currently have a fever above 38°C (100.4°F).
- Your blood count (hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, or white blood cells) falls below certain levels depending on your sex and ethnicity (confirm specific values with trial site).
- You test positive for certain infections spread through blood, including HIV, hepatitis B or C, HTLV, syphilis, West Nile virus, or others as required by blood banking standards.
Important: Always verify eligibility with the trial site directly before applying.
Based on publicly available eligibility criteria from ClinicalTrials.gov. Verify directly with the trial site before acting. This is not medical advice.
Contact this trial
Principal Investigator: Fnu Ruchi, Ph.D., National Eye Institute (NEI)
Phone: (240) 551-7020
Contact details sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. Verify directly with the trial site before attending.
GP referral letter
Print a one-page summary to share with your doctor.
Trial details
Where this trial is recruiting
Primary endpoints
Discovery of therapeutic interventions for these ocular diseases; The identification of molecular and physiological phenotypes in these cells that may be linked to the onset or progression of the ocular conditions being studied.; The differentiation of iPS cells into RPE, neural retinal cells and/or other ocular cells.; The creation of iPS cells from at least one of the three types of somatic tissues collected from each participant.
Can't join this trial?
Data last synced from ClinicalTrials.gov: 28 July 2026. Trial status can change. Always verify current status directly with the trial site before making any decision.