Macular Degeneration News and Research

Latest Macular Degeneration News and Research

Brain reorganizes to compensate for loss of vision

A new study from Georgia Tech shows that when patients with macular degeneration focus on using another part of their retina to compensate for their loss of central vision, their brain seems to compensate by reorganizing its neural connections.

20 Nov 2008

All stem cells are not created equal, explains expert

During the course of the Presidential campaign, Obama signaled his intention to reverse Bush's controversial limit on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

11 Nov 2008

NEI releases complete data from age-related eye disease study

The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announces the release of more than 10 years of data collected during the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), which looked at the progression of age-related macular degeneration and age-related cataract in 4,757 adults aged 55 to 80.

10 Nov 2008

Ellex Medical Lasers announces results of retina regeneration therapy

Ellex Medical Lasers has announced the six-month clinical study results for the groundbreaking treatment Retina Regeneration Therapy (Ellex 2RT) at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

10 Nov 2008

Advances in ophthalmology

The 2008 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE), the largest and most comprehensive ophthalmic educational meeting in the world, is in session November 8 to 11 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta.

10 Nov 2008

Anti-VEGF drugs for retinal diseases could have serious side effects

Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have found that reducing the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is best known as a stimulator of new blood vessel growth, in adult mice causes the death of photoreceptors and Muller glia -- cells of the retina that are essential to visual function.

3 Nov 2008

Research points to new treatment options for infantile hemangioma

A team of researchers led by Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) Dean for Research Bjorn Olsen has discovered a mechanism for the rapid growth seen in infantile hemangioma, the most common childhood tumor.

31 Oct 2008

Selenium and vitamin E supplements do not prevent prostate cancer

Initial, independent review of study data from the Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT), funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and other institutes that comprise the National Institutes of Health shows that selenium and vitamin E supplements, taken either alone or together, did not prevent prostate cancer.

28 Oct 2008

Gene find sheds light on motor neuron diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Scientists have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and some other diseases that affect our motor neurons.

22 Oct 2008

People lacking essential antioxidants and sunlight more likely to develop advanced macular degeneration

People who lack essential antioxidants, and who have high levels of sunlight exposure, have a higher risk of developing advanced macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study published today in the journal Archives of Ophthalmology. AMD is the leading cause of poor vision in the UK.

20 Oct 2008

Combo of sunlight and low antioxidant levels leave seniors at risk of eye disease

European research has revealed that blue light exposure from the sun combined with low plasma levels of antioxidants may contribute to certain forms of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

14 Oct 2008

People lacking vital antioxidants and exposed to sunlight more likely to develop eye disease later in life

13 Oct 2008

5 things you should know about stem cell research

In just a few weeks, Michigan voters will have an important decision to make when casting their ballots.

13 Oct 2008

Discovery of 100 new antiangiogenesis peptides

Using computer models and live cell experiments, biomedical engineers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered more than 100 human protein fragments that can slow or stop the growth of cells that make up new blood vessels.

5 Oct 2008

Arana updates inflammatory pipeline milestones

Biotechnology company Arana Therapeutics Limited today provided an update on the major inflammatory compounds in its drug development pipeline. As part of this update, Arana said it has developed a new antibody candidate ART123, targeting inflammatory diseases and it plans to start a Phase I clinical trial for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) candidate PMX53 in 2009.

21 Sep 2008

Antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory drugs: are they safe?

Since Rofecoxib (Vioxx) was withdrawn from the worldwide market based on the safety findings of the Adenomatous Polyp Prevention on Vioxx (APPROVe) study, the uncertainty around the cardiovascular safety of NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors remains and leaves practitioners with difficult management decisions for the hundreds of millions of patients worldwide who continue to require pain-relieving therapy to maintain an acceptable quality of life.

1 Sep 2008

Drug Lucentis to save eyesight of thousands in the UK

The eyesight of thousands of people in the UK will be saved with a new drug available under the National Health Service.

27 Aug 2008

Plastic coatings could help medical implants connect with neurons

Plastic coatings could someday help neural implants treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson's disease and macular degeneration.

21 Aug 2008

Eating oily fish once a week may reduce age-related macular degeneration

Eating oily fish once a week may reduce age-related macular degeneration (AMD) which is the major cause of blindness and poor vision in adults in western countries and the third cause of global blindness, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

10 Aug 2008

Hyperactive immune resistance brings blindness in old age

Age-dependent macular degeneration (AMD) is the commonest cause of blindness in the western industrialised nations. Hereditary changes in the regulation of the immune system influence the risk of contracting AMD.

24 Jul 2008