METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR PROGNOSING, DETECTING, AND TREATING AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

摘要

The invention provides methods and compositions for determining whether a subject is at risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, for example, the wet or neovascular form of age-related macular degeneration. The method involves determining whether the subject has a protective variant and/or a risk variant at a polymorphic site in the HTRAl gene. In addition, the invention provides a method of treating or slowing the progression of age- related macular degeneration by reducing the expression of the HTRAl gene, or reducing the biological activity of theHTRAl gene product.