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Mouse model of Stargardt, AMD developed
An animal model has been successfully constructed to mimic dry age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt macular degeneration, according to a press release from two universities involved in the research.
David S. Williams, PhD, and colleagues at the University of California San Diego and the University of Utah noted that the age-related and Stargardt forms of macular degeneration are “characterized by high levels of debris called lipofuscin that accumulates in the retinal pigment epithelium and results in its degeneration together with photoreceptor cells,” according to the press release.
The researchers bred mice with a mutated form of a particular gene that caused the mice to develop significant lipofuscin accumulation and photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelial cell death in a pattern similar to humans, the release said.
According to the universities, while other mouse models of macular degeneration have been developed, this is the first to focus on dry AMD.