Search is Powered by Google
Follow us on:
Follow our health news on Twitter
Follow Our News on Facebook
Personalization
login | register
Eye Health / Blindness News

Genes Involved In Inflammation May Hold Clue To Age Related Macular Degeneration

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Also Included In: Genetics;  Clinical Trials / Drug Trials
Article Date: 29 Feb 2008 - 0:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:4 and a half stars

4.2 (5 votes)

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

A University of Southampton research team, led by Professor Andrew Lotery, has identified a new genetic risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of untreatable blindness in elderly people in developed countries.

The study is published today by the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

AMD is a progressive disease affecting the retinal pigment in the macular region at the back of the eye. Building on their previous research, which showed that genes that control inflammation were important for developing AMD, the researchers took DNA samples from 478 people with AMD and from 555 people with no signs of the disease. They then looked for evidence of variations in genes controlling the production and suppression of cytokines - powerful chemicals involved in inflammatory processes in the body.

Their work paid off when they identified that one of the genetic variants (251A/T), which is associated with a gene that boosts the production of interleukin 8 (known as IL-8), was significantly more common among the patients with AMD. This held true even after taking account of age, sex, weight, and smoking, which is a known risk factor for AMD.

'This is exciting research which helps us understand why people develop AMD,' says Professor Lotery. 'In the future we may be able to target patients with this genetic risk factor for specific anti-inflammatory treatments, maybe with something as simple as aspirin! This knowledge should allow us to get much better treatment results.'

Professor Lotery's research has been supported by the University of Southampton and the Gift of Sight appeal. He adds: 'I would like to thank everyone who has made a donation to this very worthwhile cause.'

If repeated in larger studies, Professor Lotery and his colleagues suggest that their findings might lead to the possibility of genetic screening for AMD and the development of biological agents to control it.

Southampton University
http://www.soton.ac.uk




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Hemophilia Opioid Induced Constipation Pneumococcal Disease ADHD Anxiety Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Please fill in our survey

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
Blind Woman's Tooth Helped Restore Her Sight
17 Sep 2009
For the first time in the US surgeons used a rare procedure to help a blind woman regain her sight: they implanted her own tooth in her eye to hold a prosthetic lens in place...


Improving Reading Vision image Improving Reading Vision

Aging can often mean losing the ability to read up close. But does that mean a life of looking for lost glasses? Learn what other options are available...

What Is a Cataract? image What Is a Cataract?

When you reach a certain age, it's usually clear that your vision isn't as sharp as it used to be. Learn how surgery for the cloudy lens of a cataract can restore vision...

View more videos...