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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research may have unlocked a treatment for the blinding eye disease, age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The dry type of AMD, also known as geographic atrophy, is an untreatable, progressive disease that affects an estimated eight million Americans, most over age 50. Eventually, the disease causes permanent vision loss. Now, researchers found a genetic mutation may provide protection against and even treat dry AMD.
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An immune system receptor called toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) is the first gene discovered to be associated with dry AMD. Researchers say TLR3 activation leads to death of specific cells in the retina, making people with an active TLR3 gene two to five times more likely to develop dry AMD than those with an inactive gene mutation.
Researchers hope this discovery leads to possible treatments or prevention for dry AMD.
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2008
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