This release is available in French.
Montreal, February 20, 2008 Scientists have won a major battle in the fight against age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, a blinding eye disease that affects millions of people. An international team, led by researchers at Sainte-Justine Hospital and the Universit de Montral, has identified the deficient receptor that causes the dry form of AMD.
In the February edition of the medical journal PLoS Medicine, the researchers explain how a deficiency of the CD36 receptor prevents the evacuation of oxidized lipids in the eye. Those oxidized lipids in turn accumulate and attack the layers beneath and over the retina thereby causing vision loss.
Our discovery has important implications for the development of new therapies, explains lead researcher, Dr. Sylvain Chemtob, who co-authored the paper with Universit de Montral collaborator Dr. Huy Ong, a professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, as well as Florian Sennlaub of the Institut national de la sant et de la recherche mdicale (INSERM) in France.
Chemtob, a neonatal researcher at Sainte-Justine Hospital and a professor at the Universit de Montrals Department of Pediatrics and School of Optometry, used mice and rat models to pinpoint the scavenger receptor responsible for retinal degeneration typical of dry AMD. We found that a deficiency in CD36 receptors leads to significant and progressive age-related macular degeneration, he says. CD36 deficiency leads to central vision loss a key feature of dry AMD.
This discovery brings us one step closer to treating dry AMD, which could significantly improve the quality of life of seniors who are most affected by this eye disease, added co-author Dr. Huy Ong. Now that we have also developed the molecules that activate CD 36 receptor, we are working on the validation of the efficacy of these molecules as potential therapeutic agents for dry AMD treatment with prospect at the horizon of 2015.
Wet and dry AMD remain an alarming cause of vision loss in the western world, which according to the AMD Alliance International, affect 30 million people aged 50 and over. Dry AMD is the most pervasive of the disorders and affects 90 percent of AMD cases.
'/>"/>
| Contact: Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins sylvain-jacques.desjardins@umontreal.ca 514-343-7593 University of Montreal Source:Eurekalert |
Related medicine news :
1. In Combination With FOLFOX4, the Effect of Erbitux and Avastin On Survival Rates Will Drive Prescription Decisions in the Treatment of Stage III Colon Cancer
2. Varian Medical Systems Announces Symposia on RapidArc Technology for Faster, More Precise Radiotherapy Treatments
3. No Difference Found in Treatments for Acute Kidney Failure
4. Missing Chromosome Improves Response to Brain Tumor Treatment
5. Combo Treatment Best for Melanoma, Advanced Ovarian Cancer
6. Yes, no, maybe so: New model helps identify what works in mental health treatment
7. USAID Awards $70 Million for the Prevention and Treatment of Obstetric Fistula
8. AIDS Healthcare Foundation and NCHADS Partnership Adds 8th Cambodian AIDS Treatment Center in Kirivong
9. Many Prostate Cancers Will Not Need Treatment
10. High-End Treatment Center Moonview Sanctuary Unveils Four New Core Treatment Programs
11. Respiratory Distress Treatment Studies Conflict
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |