Macular Degeneration News and Research

Latest Macular Degeneration News and Research

RNAi shows promise in gene therapy

Three years ago Mark Kay, MD, PhD, published the first results showing that a biological phenomenon called RNA interference could be an effective gene therapy technique. Since then he has used RNAi gene therapy to effectively shut down the viruses that cause hepatitis and HIV in mice.

19 Feb 2007

Bionic eye offers light at the end of the tunnel for the blind

Researchers in the United States have been given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to trial a bionic eye implant in blind patients.

18 Feb 2007

Watercress shows anti-cancer potential

Eating watercress daily can significantly reduce DNA damage to blood cells, which is considered to be an important trigger in the development of cancer, University of Ulster scientists revealed.

18 Feb 2007

Maraviroc to receive accelerated review in U.S. and Europe

Pfizer announced today that marketing authorization applications for maraviroc will receive accelerated review in both the United States and Europe. Accelerated reviews are granted to potential medicines that, if approved, would represent significant improvements over current therapies.

13 Feb 2007

Stunning breakthrough makes blind mice see again

In what is being viewed as a major breakthrough scientists are facing the very real possibility of a cure for blindness.

8 Nov 2006

Regular exercise protects against age related macular degeneration

AMD is a condition which causes light sensitive cells at the back of the eye to stop working, resulting in severe vision loss; it affects the central vision, needed for driving and for many other activities.

1 Nov 2006

New study to evaluate whether nutrient-based factors slow the progression of age-related macular degeneration

UT Southwestern Medical Center is participating in a nationwide study investigating whether modified combinations of vitamins, minerals and fish oil products can slow the progression of vision loss from age-related macular degeneration.

24 Oct 2006

Scientists identify gene called HTRA1 that contributes to a major risk of Age Related Macular Degeneration

Researchers at the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah have identified a gene called HTRA1 that contributes to a major risk of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in the developed world.

20 Oct 2006

Simple sight test and glasses could make a dramatic difference to the lives of more than 150 million people

Children fail at school, adults are unable to work and families are pushed into poverty as a result of uncorrected visual impairment.

11 Oct 2006

Going deaf and blind happens simultaneously in old age

According to Australian scientists, vision and hearing loss happens almost simultaneously in older people.

11 Oct 2006

National Eye Institute to finance two-year study comparing effectiveness of treatments for macular degeneration

The National Eye Institute on Thursday said it will finance a two-year study comparing the effectiveness of Genentech's eye treatment Lucentis and cancer drug Avastin for treating wet age-related macular degeneration, the New York Times reports.

8 Oct 2006

New drug a breakthrough in the treatment of AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a common cause of vision loss and often affects older people.

5 Oct 2006

Blindness added to the risk list of obesity

A report from the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) in the UK, says obese adults and children have twice the risk of losing their sight from a range of degenerative eye conditions.

7 Sep 2006

Variation in 3 genes influences risk of age-related macular degeneration

Researchers in Boston have discovered a new common, noncoding variant in the Complement Factor H (CFH) gene that is associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of irreversible visual impairment and blindness among persons aged 60 and older.

30 Aug 2006