Role of C-reactive protein in age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of sight-loss in those over 70 and there is little treatment available for the most common form of the disease. As AMD progresses the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degenerates leading to loss of key photoreceptor cells. Although this degeneration involves accumulation of waste products little is known about the exact processes involved making it hard to design effective therapy. To improve this we aim to investigate the protein, C-reactive protein (CRP) which has been shown to build-up in AMD. We will examine whether and how CRP affects RPE cells.