An article co-authored by Peter J. Francis, MD, examines how genes and other factors influence the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The researchers reviewed several studies performed over the last 10 years that have made headway in identifying the genetic material responsible for giving rise to the condition. According to Peter Francis, MD, and his peer, certain genetic discoveries important to understanding AMD proved surprising to the medical community at large, which took the findings and used them to develop therapies that are currently in the experimental stages.

1. Article Explores Genetics and Age-Related Macular Degeneration
An article co-authored by Peter J. Francis, MD, examines how genes
and other factors influence the onset of age-related macular
degeneration (AMD). The researchers reviewed several studies
performed over the last 10 years that have made headway in
identifying the genetic material responsible for giving rise to the
condition. According to Peter Francis, MD, and his peer, certain genetic
discoveries important to understanding AMD proved surprising to the
medical community at large, which took the findings and used them to
develop therapies that are currently in the experimental stages.
According to the article, researchers have so far discovered roughly 50
percent of key AMD genes by using methods ranging from pathway
analysis to genome-wide association studies. New technology will likely
play a leading role in pinning down the rarer, but no less significant,
genetic variations.
The review appeared under the title “Update on the Role of Genetics in
the Onset of Age-related Macular Degeneration” in the journal Clinical
Ophthalmology. Interested parties can read the paper in full by visiting
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3162292.