This week we profile a recent publication in the Journal of Pathology from
Dr. Rosario Fernández Godino’s (pictured) lab at Harvard Medical School.
Can you provide a brief overview of your lab’s current research focus?
The focus of the lab is to understand the role of the complement system in the early pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying AMD is critical to design effective therapies.
What is the significance of the findings in this publication?
For the first time, we have demonstrated a role for the tick-over, which is the spontaneous activation of the complement system (a part of the immune system) in the cellular pathology of the retina associated with early stage AMD.
What are the next steps for this research?
There is no current treatment for dry AMD, which is the most common cause of vision loss in elderly people. The results published here open new avenues for the design of effective therapies to treat millions of patients with drusen.
This research was funded by:
The BrightFocus Foundation.
