An international research collaborative has identified 7 new genetic loci associated with an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), bringing the total number of known AMD-susceptibility loci in the human genome to 19.
Scientists from 18 research groups in 14 countries formed the consortium in the spring of 2010 with the goal of speeding up the search for AMD susceptibility genes.
The report on their first collaborative effort describes a series of interrelated analyses that identified the 7 new AMD-associated loci, confirmed 12 other previously identified loci, and suggested where researchers should look next for genetic clues to AMD.