News You Can Use: July 2009
Early detection of age related macular degeneration (AMD) is critical for effectively treating the disease and preventing vision loss. A promising study by scientists in the United States has now identified a new target that may block the activity of a protein known as CCR3 thus reducing the abnormal blood vessel growth associated with wet AMD.
Wet AMD, the most serious form of the disease, is caused by abnormal, leaky blood vessels. Central vision loss occurs when these abnormal blood vessels invade the retina, the light-sensitive multi-layered tissue that lines the back of the eye. This recent discovery may enable doctors to catch the disease in its earliest stages – before the retina is damaged and vision loss occurs.
Researchers detected that CCR3 protein was present in eye tissue from humans with AMD, but not in others of similar age. When CCR3 was blocked in mice, either with drugs or through genetic engineering, a decrease in the generation of abnormal blood vessels was observed.
“This is an exciting new discovery with the potential to detect and treat AMD in a whole new way,” said Alan Cruess, M.D. Chief of Ophthalmology, Dalhousie University and Chairman, AMDAI Science Panel. “If we can stop unwanted blood vessel growth before it starts, we can potentially prevent vision loss for millions of people around the world.”
In the future, researchers will likely look to see if levels of the CCR3 protein can be detected in the bloodstream in the hopes of identifying people who are at risk of developing macular degeneration. They also plan to search for genetic changes in the CCR3 gene in patients with AMD to better understand its causes.
The study was conducted at the University of Kentucky and published in a recent issue of the prestigious journal Nature.
