Posted by admin in 
Results of a study may have unearthed the cause of age related macular degeneration, which effects the eyes, limiting eyesite of elderly people.
The study from researchers at the University of Utah has revealed a biological pathway that may block the onset of the disease, a fact that may lead to the development of therapies to treat age related macular degeneration as well as many other types of diseases.
The discovery involves a cell surface protein called Roundabout (Robo)-4, and according to study leader Dr. Dean Li, of the University of Utah, this protein is very different from other similar Robo family members.
“I think it is very strong science,” said Dr. George A. Williams, chairman of the department of ophthalmology at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. “It identifies a promising preliminary observation that is going to require a lot more development.”
The researchers, working in the lab mutated the Robo4 gene in mice. Carrying out experiments on the proteins they found that they could develop a biological interaction that made it impossible for certain proteins to break down.
The study was published in the March 16 online edition of Nature Medicine.
