Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026

A Phenotyping Regimen for Genetically Modified Mice Used to Study Genes Implicated in Human Diseases of Aging
Published on: July 14, 2016
Response to AREDS supplements according to genetic factors: survival analysis approach using the eye as the unit of
Johanna M Seddon1,2,3, Rachel E Silver1, Bernard Rosner4
1Ophthalmic Epidemiology and Genetics Service, New England Eye Center, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background/Aims:
The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) reported the beneficial impact of antioxidant and zinc supplements on the risk of progression to advanced stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We evaluated the role of genetic variants in modifying the relationship between supplementation and progression to advanced AMD.
Methods:
Among 4124 eyes (2317 subjects with a genetic specimen), 882 progressed from no AMD, early or intermediate AMD to overall advanced disease, including geographic atrophy (GA) and neovascular disease (NV) over the course of the clinical trial. Survival analysis using individual eyes as the unit of analysis was used to assess the effect of supplementation on AMD outcomes, with adjustment for demographic, environmental, ocular and genetic covariates. Interaction effects between supplement groups and individual complement factor H (CFH) Y402H and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) genotypes, and composite genetic risk groups combining the number of risk alleles for both loci, were evaluated for their association with progression.
Results:
Among antioxidant and zinc supplement users compared with the placebo group, subjects with a non-risk genotype for CFH (TT) had a lower risk of progression to advanced AMD (HR: 0.55, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.95, p=0.033). No significant treatment effect was apparent among subjects who were homozygous for the CFH risk allele (CC). A protective effect was observed among high-risk ARMS2 (TT) carriers (HR: 0.52, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.82, p=0.005). Similar results were seen for the NV subtype but not GA.
Conclusions:
The effectiveness of antioxidant and zinc supplementation appears to differ by genotype. Further study is needed to determine the biological basis for this interaction.
Trial Registration Number:
NCT00594672, pre-results.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Drug Toxicity: Risk factors
Genetic Lingo
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...

