Near-Infrared Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy Reveals Loss of RPE Cell Body Polarity in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Key Points

• To investigate the loss of RPE cell body polarity as a potential early indicator of age-related macular degeneration.
• Utilized near-infrared fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) at 780 nm.
• Analyzed NIR-autofluorescence lifetimes in RPE cells.
• Evaluated changes associated with metabolic and intracellular organization.
• Detected a significant loss of RPE cell body polarity in AMD samples.
• Identified disruptions in NIR-autofluorescence lifetimes correlating with RPE alterations.
• Proposed FLIM as a promising method for early biomarker identification.