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Beta-amyloid may provide a viable target for treatment of AMD

Research, published in the US Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS, doi/10.1073/pnas.1100901108), has demonstrated that beta-amyloid (A-beta), normally targeted in Alzheimer’s disease, may also reverse retinal deposition associated with dry AMD and protect visual function. The finding could open a large new market for a number of pharmaceutical companies already in late stage clinical trials with compounds targeting beta-amyloid. The research findings, built on previous observations that beta-amyloid (A-beta) accumulated in the drusen of AMD patients but not in those without AMD, firmly establish A-beta as a viable AMD target.