A British research team is celebrating a breakthrough in the search for the causes of a major cause of blindness.
The Southampton University team has made new genetic findings about age-related macular degeneration – suggesting it may be caused by the eye’s self-cleaning system.
Their findings have been reported on-line by The Lancet.
Professor Andrew Lotery, Dr Sarah Ennis and Professor Andy Collins collaborated with a research team in Iowa, USA, for their work.
Their findings link the disease to the eye’s cleansing system, which removes infection and foreign objects.
The key is a gene called Serping1, which helps produce proteins for this system.
According to the researchers, their findings suggest the cleansing system is malfunctioning.
Professor Lotery said: "Our study also shows that a particular variant of the gene SERPING1, carried by just under a quarter of the population, appears to offer protection against the disease.
"I am delighted that researchers at the University of Southampton have made such an important contribution to understanding this devastating disease. Now we must take this research further to ensure patients get maximum benefit from this discovery."
The Lancet, published online in advance, 7 October 2008.
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