# OCT Angiography for Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

> **NIH NIH R01** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $471,602

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), characterized by the presence of choroidal
neovascularization (CNV), accounts for the majority of AMD related vision loss. Invasive dye-based fluorescein
angiography (FA) remains the gold standard for CNV detection. Using high-speed OCT systems, we have
developed novel OCT angiography (OCTA) technologies to image CNV as well as vascular plexuses
associated with AMD. Our recent clinical studies have demonstrated that (1) 3×3-mm OCTA has a sensitivity
for subfoveal CNV detection comparable to FA; (2) OCTA derived quantitative metrics provide novel insight
into the CNV response to anti-VEGF treatment; and (3) routine screening OCTA can detect treatment naïve
non-exudative CNV that carries high risk for progression and is invisible with FA. Currently, OCTA is limited by
low transverse resolution, small field of view, and various artifacts. The current proposal will overcome these
limitations by improving both the hardware platform and software algorithms to develop advanced OCTA. Its
role in AMD evaluation and management will be tested in three clinical studies.
1. Develop high-resolution wide-field OCTA. We will develop a swept-source OCT prototype that is 4 times
 faster than current commercial OCT systems. A wide collimated beam will be used to improve transverse
 optical resolution. The high-speed and high-resolution OCTA will be able to image capillary-level details in
 a wide field of view.
2. Develop volumetric analysis of CNV and plexus-specific analysis of retinal and choroidal
 circulations. We will improve our algorithm to remove projection artifacts in the outer retina that arise from
 moving blood cells in superficial retinal vessels. Next, we will develop automated software to measure CNV
 volume and to detect defects in the choriocapillaris and retinal deep capillary plexus (DCP).
3. Evaluate advanced OCTA for AMD in clinical studies. Three studies will test the clinical applications of
 OCTA. Study 1: A cross-sectional analysis will compare the accuracy of OCTA versus FA to distinguish
 CNV as the etiology of macular edema versus control eyes with macular edema from retinal vein occlusion
 or diabetic retinopathy. Study 2: A longitudinal analysis of neovascular AMD under a treat-and-extend anti-
 VEGF regimen will determine if OCTA can predict recurrent exudation or hemorrhage. Study 3: An OCTA
 longitudinal screening of eyes with intermediate AMD will determine if choriocapillaris and retinal DCP
 defects presage CNV development. Non-exudative CNV detected with OCTA will be followed monthly and
 novel CNV volumetric analysis used to determine if rapid growth is a risk for development of exudation.
If successful, OCTA will improve our capability to diagnose all macular CNVs, provide useful information to
help determine appropriate anti-VEGF dosing intervals, and aid with surveillance of eyes at risk for
development of neovascular AMD. OCTA is nearing its potential to ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242699
- **Project number:** 5R01EY024544-08
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Steven T Bailey
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $471,602
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2014-09-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242699

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242699, OCT Angiography for Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration (5R01EY024544-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242699. Licensed CC0.

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