Cirrus Therapeutics, the University of Bristol, and London’s Global University Institute of Ophthalmology have discovered a new treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss among older adults.
Featured on the cover of the journal Science Translational Medicine, this research reveals that boosting a specific protein, IRAK-M, in retinal cells could offer a new and highly effective therapy for AMD.
AMD can severely impact a person’s vision. Patients suffering from AMD often start with blurred vision or seeing a black dot in their central vision, which can ultimately expand to the point where there is no useful central vision. Currently, AMD affects approximately 200 million people worldwide, a number projected to rise to 288 million by 2040 with graying populations. The exact cause of AMD is complex and thought to involve a combination of aging, environmental, and lifestyle factors.
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