Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Health and Disease

Professor Alexa Klettner is head of laboratories at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Kiel and professor of experimental retinology at the Christian Albrecht University, Kiel, Germany.

Professor Stefan Dithmar is Director and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology, HSK, Wiesbaden, University of Mainz, Germany.

This book provides a contemporary resource on one of the major players in retinal diseases - the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE). Throughout the book, the physiological and the pathological function of the RPE are covered on equal terms, to help readers to understand the RPE as a whole. Moreover, the development of RPE in diagnostics and therapy are covered, as well as some practical knowledge about RPE experimental models.

Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Health and Disease highlights new findings of RPE research and includes the state-of-the-art knowledge of each RPE topic presented. This important feature sets this book apart from other publications, with the chapters following a design which leads from the general to the specific, to give a precise collection of the facts known. The chapters are written by well-known experts that are currently active in the field as consultants, basic scientists, and group leaders, providing expert guidance on the current aspects and future outlooks of this topic. 

I. Physiological RPE function.- 1. RPE Histopathology and Morphometry.- 2. RPE Polarity and Barrier Functions.- 3. RPE Phagocytosis.- 4. Ion Channels of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium.- 5. RPE and the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor.- 6. The RPE cell and the Immune system.- II.The RPE in Disease.- 7. The RPE in Myopia development.- 8. Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Proliferative Disorders.- 9. Retinal pigment epithelium in health and disease: maturation, aging and age-related macular degeneration.- 10. Retinal Pigment Epithelium in Age-related Macular Degeneration.- 11. Sex Related Differences in Retinal Pigment Epithelium and Retinal Disease.- III. The RPE in Diagnostics.- 12. RPE in Optical Coherence Tomography.- 13. RPE Autofluorescence.- IV. The RPE in Therapy.- 14. RPE and Stem Cell Therapy.- 15. RPE in Gene Therapy.- 16. RPE and Laser.- V.  Experimental RPE Models.- 17. RPE Cell Culture.- 18. Retinal Pigment Epithelium Organ Culture.- 19. Animal Models of Diseasesof the Retinal Pigment Epithelium.