Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, and colleagues have successfully prevented the growth of ocular blood vessels that cause macular degeneration, the leading cause of severe vision loss in older Americans, in mice by treating them with eye drops that lower cholesterol levels, reported The Telegraph on April 2. Dr. Apte’s results were published this month in the journal Cell Metabolism. This treatment also "showed promising effects" in cells from humans with macular degeneration. Dr. Apte is the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the recipient of both a 2005 AFAR Research Grant and a 2012 Julie Martin Midcareer Award in Aging Research. To learn more about macular degeneration, visit the Infoaging Age-Related Macular Degeneration center.
