THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF GEOGRAPHIC ATROPHY SECONDARY TO AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION AND THE COMPLEMENT PATHWAY AS A THERAPEUTIC TARGET.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Geographic atrophy (GA) is an advanced, vision-threatening form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affecting approximately five million individuals worldwide. To date, there are no approved therapeutics for GA treatment; however, several are in clinical trials. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of GA, particularly the role of complement cascade dysregulation and emerging therapies targeting the complement cascade.

Methods

Primary literature search on PubMed for GA, complement cascade in age-related macular degeneration. ClinicalTrials.gov was searched for natural history studies in GA and clinical trials of drugs targeting the complement cascade for GA.

Results

Cumulative damage to the retina by aging, environmental stress, and other factors tr

SUBMITTER: Boyer DS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5424580 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature