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New DNA and RNA aptamers offer unique therapeutic advantages

New Rochelle, NY, August 5, 2009 -- A novel class of drugs composed of single strands of DNA or RNA, called aptamers, can bind protein targets with a high strength and specificity and are currently in clinical development as treatments for a broad range of common diseases, as described in a comprehensive review article published online ahead of print in Oligonucleotides, a peer-reviewed

UF scientists program blood stem cells to become vision cells

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- University of Florida researchers were able to program bone marrow stem cells to repair damaged retinas in mice, suggesting a potential treatment for one of the most common causes of vision loss in older people.

LSUHSC research identifies enzyme that makes survival molecule for key vision cells

New Orleans, LA -- Research lead by Dr. Nicolas Bazan, Boyd Professor and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, identifying an enzyme that makes neuroprotectin D1 which specifically and selectively protects retinal cells key for vision, will be published in the June 26, 2009 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

'Nature' and 'nurture' variables early predictors of AMD

Rockville, MD -- Like many diseases, causes for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can be categorized as either "nature" or "nurture". Researchers think these factors, when used in the proper model, can be strong predictors of the disease.

AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older.

Omega-3 fatty acids appear to impact AMD progression

BOSTON (June 18, 2009) - Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as tuna and salmon may protect against progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but the benefits appear to depend on the stage of disease and whether certain supplements are taken, report researchers at the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research (LNVR), Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Ag

Structures from the human immune system's oldest branch shed light on a range of diseases

PHILADELPHIA -- How molecules of the oldest branch of the human immune system have interconnected has remained a mystery. Now, two new structures, both involving a central component of an enzyme important to the complement system of the immune response, reveal how this system fights invading microbes while avoiding problems of the body attacking itself.

Major breakthrough in early detection and prevention of AMD

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 15, 2009) -- A team of researchers led by Dr. Jayakrishna Ambati at the University of Kentucky has discovered a biological marker for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in older adults.

UNC study suggests new approach to common cause of blindness

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine in collaboration with lead investigators at the University of Kentucky have identified a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in older Americans.

Why do people with Down syndrome have less cancer?

Most cancers are rare in people with Down syndrome, whose overall cancer mortality is below 10 percent of that in the general population. Since they have an extra copy of chromosome 21, it's been proposed that people with Down syndrome may be getting an extra dose of one or more cancer-protective genes.

Combined dietary factors impact AMD risk; study finds glaucoma care cost-effective

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--- Highlights of May's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy), include a new analysis of dietary factors and risks for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and a landmark study on glaucoma treatment cost-effectiveness as linked to vision improvement and quality of life.

New therapies expected to help reduce future visual burden of age-related eye disease

The prevalence of the eye disease age-related macular degeneration is projected to increase substantially by 2050, but the use of new therapies is expected to help mitigate its effects on vision, according to results of simulation modeling reported in the April issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Growth factor TGF-B helps maintain health of retinal blood vessels

Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have found that the growth factor known as TGF-? is essential to the health of blood vessels in the retina and that blocking it can cause retinal dysfunction.

Ambati study published in PNAS

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 6, 2009) - The side effects of an experimental "gene-silencing" treatment that is currently being investigated for a variety of diseases are even more wide-ranging than previously discovered, according to a study by a University of Kentucky researcher.

Mount Sinai Hospital researcher makes stem cell breakthrough

(Toronto, ON, February 25, 2009) - In a study to be released on March 1, 2009, Mount Sinai Hospital's Dr. Andras Nagy discovered a new method of creating stem cells that could lead to possible cures for devastating diseases including spinal cord injury, macular degeneration, diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

Vigorous exercise may prevent vision loss

There’s another reason to dust off those running shoes. Vigorous exercise may help prevent vision loss, according to a pair of studies from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.



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