Research shows rare gene variant related to macular degeneration

As per a research initiated by scientists from the Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis along with University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, has recognized a gene mutation that has been linked to macular degeneration one of the major cause of blindness. The team has studied DNA from 10 different places linked to the AMD from genetic researches. They have worked on 57 genes from 2,355 patients against 789 healthy people. They identified variant C3 gene that contributes to this particular disease. Elaine R. Mardis, research contributor explains “The complement system is part of the immune system that helps amplify or 'complement' the efforts of immune cells to fight infections. So the idea is that the gene variant interferes with the complement pathway's normal function throughout life, and that can damage the retina over time, which ultimately leads to AMD's emergence.”