Summary

By examining a population with a close community and genetic similarities, this proposal will seek to identify genetic risk factors that predispose a population to AMD.

Project Details

This study focuses on finding all the genetic components of AMD by examining people (the Amish) with large interrelated family and community structures who are more likely to share environmental exposures and underlying genetic structure than other average Americans. This will reduce the number of normal differences that occur in studies within the general population, and should make it easier to find the remaining genes involved in AMD. The goal is to identify novel factors to better understand AMD and provide other researchers with information for more effective treatments and preventative measures.