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Two genes may cause majority of AMD cases

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NEW YORK — Two genes may be responsible for almost 75% of age-related macular degeneration cases, according to researchers.

Rando Allikmets, PhD, and colleagues here at Columbia University found Factor H and Factor B play a role in the development of AMD by either increasing the disease risk or modifying the disease.

Several variants in the Factor H gene significantly increase the risk of developing AMD by encoding a protein that helps shut down an immune response against bacterial or viral infection once the infection is eliminated, according to a university press release. A genetic analysis of 1,300 people found Factor B to be a “major modifier” of the disease, the press release said.

“The discovery makes good biological sense: While Factor H is an inhibitor of the immune response to infection, Factor B is an activator,” the release said.

Of the subjects with AMD, 74% had either the Factor H or Factor B risk variant, or both gene risk variants; none of the subjects had protective variants of either gene.