The future of medicine is at Ohio State
Our innovative curriculum, life-altering biomedical research and unsurpassed patient care make us one of the top medical schools in the country.
Explore our programs
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has two types — “wet” and “dry.” Currently, the only treatment for wet macular degeneration is an eye injection that blocks activity of VEGF, a growth factor protein that contributes to the formation of abnormal blood vessels in macular degeneration.
The problem, says Nagaraj Kerur, DVM, PhD, associate professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, is that people typically stop responding to that treatment after about two years, and they develop scarring under the retina.
Dr. Kerur and other scientists recently determined in a study published in Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – Molecular Basis of Disease that, in mice, there is another element causing abnormal blood vessel growth in wet AMD: an enzyme related to cell growth and division. So, an experimental drug that targets that enzyme was able to reduce that abnormal growth in mice.
Topics
Related websites
Articles on Health
Mental Health
Alone time is important to mental health. Here’s how to more of it
More than half of Americans say alone time is very important to their mental health, but many say they aren’t able to get that solitude during the holidays. Ohio State experts suggest what to do.
Cancer
Child life specialists at The James: Aiding kids and families affected by cancer
Child life specialist Brianna Wall explains the role of a child life specialist in providing support to children and families affected by a cancer diagnosis.