Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40512794›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2025

Bruch's membrane heparan sulfate retains lipoproteins in the early stages of age-related macular degeneration.

Christopher B Toomey, Savanna Pflugmacher, Kamalu Park, Jessica Pihl, Sammy Weiser Novak, Jessica Rodriguez, Maryam Jalali, Jaesoo Jung, Madeline Mozafari, Sima P Omran and 10 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Glycosylation of the retina.Biochemical Society transactions · 2026
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. The roles of glycerophospholipids in the aging retina and age-related macular degeneration.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2026
    Review
  7. Review
  8. Reply.Ophthalmology · 2025
    Article
  9. Evidence for the Pathogenicity of aMedicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Christopher B ToomeyViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.ORCID 0000-0003-0341-7787
Savanna PflugmacherViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.ORCID 0009-0007-1620-3039
Kamalu ParkViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Jessica PihlGlycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Sammy Weiser NovakWaitt Advanced Biophotonic Core, Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Jessica RodriguezGlycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.ORCID 0009-0006-4689-2720
Maryam JalaliViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Jaesoo JungGlycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Madeline MozafariViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.ORCID 0009-0001-2539-5884
Sima P OmranViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.ORCID 0000-0001-6909-5069
Cameron K PormirDepartment of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Jill HauerGlycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.ORCID 0000-0003-3455-6536
Chelsea PainterGlycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.ORCID 0000-0002-1913-5584
Evan WalkerViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Alex S HuangViterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology and Shiley Eye Institute, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Daniela BoassaWaitt Advanced Biophotonic Core, Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA 92093.
James T HandaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD 21287.ORCID 0000-0003-1314-1745
Teodor AastrupAttana AB, Stockholm, Sollentuna 191 62, Sweden.
Philip L S M GordtsGlycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.
Jeffrey D EskoGlycobiology Research and Training Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.ORCID 0000-0001-8322-1834

Funding

Protein Glycosylation in the Coagulopathy and Inflammation of SepsisP01HL131474 · NHLBI · SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE · PI MARTH, JAMEY · 2016 to 2025
$26.2M
Medical Scientist Training Program Training GrantT32GM145449 · NIGMS · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI Christopher D Kontos · 2022 to 2026
$6.6M
Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Career Development K12 ProgramK12EY024225 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI WEINREB, ROBERT N · 2015 to 2025
$4.3M
Dynamic Variable Aqueous Humor Outflow and Glaucoma Therapies in the Human EyeR01EY030501 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Alex Huang, Hao F Zhang · 2020 to 2026
$3.5M
Targeting lysosome/RPE heterogeneity in AMD pathobiology as a novel therapyR01EY031594 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI HANDA, JAMES T, SINHA, DEBASISH · 2021 to 2024
$2.4M
Does age/stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction induce variations in RPE phenotype in AMD?R01EY035805 · NEI · TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · PI James T Handa, Shusheng Wang · 2024 to 2026
$1.9M
The role of epigenetics in RPE heterogeneity with early AMDR01EY033765 · NEI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI HANDA, JAMES T · 2022 to 2025
$1.8M
Role of Bruch Membrane Heparan Sulfate in Drusenogenesis in Age-Related Macular DegenerationK08EY035322 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Christopher B Toomey · 2024 to 2026
$764k
Bruch's Membrane-On-A-Chip to Study Drusen Formation in AMDR21EY037260 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI TOOMEY, CHRISTOPHER B · 2025 to 2025
$639k
The Heparan Sulfate Landscape in Complement RegulationR21AI185519 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Jeffrey D Esko · 2025 to 2026
$412k
Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) CD-CL-0824-0886-UCSDHHS | NIH | National Eye Institute (NEI) EY024225HHS | NIH | National Eye Institute (NEI) EY030501HHS | NIH | National Eye Institute (NEI) EY031594HHS | NIH | National Eye Institute (NEI) EY033765HHS | NIH | National Eye Institute (NEI) EY035322HHS | NIH | National Eye Institute (NEI) EY035805HHS | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) HL131474International Retinal Research Foundation (IRRF) RMF-IRRF-001-2022Larry L. Hillblom Foundation (LLHF) A-013NEI NIH HHS K08 EY035322NEI NIH HHS K12 EY024225NEI NIH HHS R01 EY030501NEI NIH HHS R01 EY031594NEI NIH HHS R01 EY033765NEI NIH HHS R01 EY035805NEI NIH HHS R21 EY037260NHLBI NIH HHS P01 HL131474NIAID NIH HHS R21 AI185519NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM145449Novartis AG | Alcon | Alcon Research Institute (ARI) 30342012Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) RPB CDA 2023Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) unrestricted grantResearch to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Unrestricted Grant
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Lipoprotein retention in Bruch's membrane is a key event in the pathobiology of early and intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, the mechanism of lipoprotein retention in BrM is unknown. Given the established role of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in binding lipoproteins, our laboratory sought to determine the role of GAGs in AMD BrM. In this study, BrM GAG content in AMD pathobiology was analyzed in human postmortem tissue. Strikingly, increased levels of highly sulfated heparan sulfate were present in AMD Bruch's membrane as compared to non-AMD samples. In addition, using scanning electron microscopy of postmortem AMD tissue, we show aggregates of lipoprotein-like particles on the retinal pigmented epithelium side of Bruch's membrane adjacent to heparan sulfate. We also show that heparin displaces lipoproteins rich in apolipoprotein A1 from human BrM, suggesting their identity as high-density lipoproteins. Using human BrM immobilized to quartz crystal microbalance biosensor (QCM) chips, we show that heparan sulfate is required for lipoprotein binding to BrM and soluble heparan sulfate can remove lipoproteins bound to BrM. Thus, our data establish that heparan sulfate regulates lipoprotein deposition in AMD BrM. These findings provide a foundation for targeted therapies capable of either preventing lipoprotein accumulation or removing drusen in the early and intermediate stages of AMD prior to vision loss.

Indexed as

Bruch MembraneHeparan SulfateLipoproteinsMacular DegenerationAgedAged, 80 and overHumansRetinal Pigment EpitheliumHeparan SulfateLipoproteinsage-related macular degenerationBruch’s membraneheparan sulfatelipoproteins

Identifiers

PMID40512794
PMCPMC12184332

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.