The Impact of Genetic Polymorphisms on Ranibizumab Treatment Outcomes in Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a disease that affects central part of the retina, called macula, and is associated with progressive central vision loss. Moreover, AMD is known to be a leading cause of blindness in developed countries. In wet form of AMD, new abnormal blood vessels start to grow from the choroid towards the retina that leads to leakage from these vessels and, in turn, to impaired retinal structure and rapid vision loss. Genetic factors were found to be important in development of wet AMD. Our previous research showed the association between some genetic polymorphisms and the risk of wet AMD as well as with specific clinical features of the disease. At present, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy with intravitreous ranibizumab (Lucentis) is considered to be the most effective treatment for wet AMD. However, treatment outcomes may vary significantly from improved vision to no effect. The aim of this research is to study how ranibizumab treatment outcomes depend on genetic factors.