Scientists have identified a group of drugs that may help stop a leading cause of vision loss after making an unexpected discovery that overturns a fundamental belief about DNA, according to a news release from the University of Virginia (UVA).
The drugs, known as nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, or NRTIs, are commonly used to treat HIV. The new discovery suggests that they may be useful against dry macular degeneration as well, even though a virus does not cause that sight-stealing condition.
A review of four different health insurance databases suggests that people taking these drugs have significantly reduced risk of developing dry macular degeneration, a condition that affects millions of Americans.
The new discovery comes from researchers at UVA, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies; and collaborators around the world. The work rewrites scientists’ understanding of DNA, revealing that it can be manufactured in the cytoplasm of our cells, outside the cell nucleus that is home to our genetic material.
The build-up of a certain type of DNA in the cytoplasm, Alu, contributes to macular degeneration, the researchers found. This build-up appears to kill off an important layer of cells that nourishes the retina’s visual cells.
Based on this discovery, the researchers decided to look at drugs that block the production of this DNA, to see if they might help prevent vision loss. They analyzed multiple U.S. health insurance databases – encompassing more than 100 million patients over two decades – and found that people taking NRTIs were almost 40 percent less likely to develop dry macular degeneration.
