pranet sirikonda

What is the importance of the connections behind the genes that cause Age-related Macular Degeneration(AMD)?

Started July 17, 2023

Abstract or project description

Aged Related Macular Degeneration is an eye disease that causes a blurriness in central vision, as aging causes damage to the macula. Currently there are 36 known loci that are predicted to influence the disease. While prior studies have done a good job identifying the 36 loci behind the disease, there isn't knowledge of the genetic underpinnings or the disease mechanism behind AMD. This study is meant to be done to take a closer look at the cell biology of the disease by looking at the discovered loci. Here I'm going to look at the genetic elements associated with these 36 loci and the cell biology corresponding to the genetic elements. In doing so, we hope to find connections between the cell biology of the genetic elements to find possible disease mechanisms or genetic underpinnings behind AMD. Using Gene Ontology, we find that the complement cascade system and the extracellular matrix may be key biological processes behind the initiation and development of AMD.