SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- A new gene discovery means a simple test can predict whether a person is at high risk for a disease causing blindness, say U.S. researchers.
A team at the John A. Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah has identified a gene called HTRA1 that raises a person's risk by 700 percent of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of irreversible vision loss.
The finding means anyone will be able to take a simple blood test to find out if they are at high risk for AMD, the researchers said, and adopt changes in diet and lifestyle that might lower their risk or delay the onset of the disease.
What's more, the discovery might provide a pathway to new AMD therapies, they added.
"If anyone in your family has a history of macular degeneration, this test would be advised," said lead researcher Kang Zhang, director of the Division of Ophthalmic Genetics at the Moran Eye Center and associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Utah. "The addition of this new piece to the AMD puzzle suggests that this gene plays a critical role in the formation of tiny protein and fat-containing debris called soft confluent drusen, a precursor of AMD, and promotes abnormal growth of blood vessels typical of the wet form of AMD."
Zhang added, "With our massive population swing toward the at-risk age (60-plus) for AMD, finding treatments and cures is vital."
The study is published online Oct. 19 in the journal Science.
