The Coriell Institute for Medical Research is proud to announce the expansion of the National Eye Institute’s Genetic Repositories with the addition of biospecimens from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), sponsored by the National Eye Institute (NEI).
These new samples complement the existing AREDS collection which are also housed at Coriell, providing researchers with a more robust resource to explore the genetic and environmental factors influencing eye health.
The first AREDS study followed nearly 5,000 people between 55 and 80 years old with cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, or both. The participants were given various nutritional supplements including antioxidants, zinc, and copper, and observed over years to identify which treatments had potential to slow the progression of cataracts of AMD.
The AREDS2 study, a continuation and enhancement of the original Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), further investigated the effects of nutritional supplements on the progression of AMD and cataracts.
More than 4,000 people between the ages of 50 and 85 with some form of AMD in one or both eyes participated in the study. These were given variations of the regiment used in the original AREDS study as well as new formulations which included Omega-3 fatty acids and other dietary compounds.
The newly added DNA samples from the AREDS2 study bring the total number of DNA samples related to the NEI eye studies to nearly 5,000 samples available for distribution on the Coriell catalog.
About the Coriell Institute for Medical Research
The Coriell Institute for Medical Research is a globally-recognized leader in biobanking and biomedical research. Coriell is home to one of the world's most important biobanks which distributes biological samples and offers research and biobanking services to scientists around the world. Coriell is the trusted steward of world-renowned collections for the National Institutes of Health, disease foundations and commercial clients. Also a leader in genomic and epigenomic research, Coriell is uncovering the ways our genetic makeup affects our health, especially with regard to cancer, aging, and personalized medicine. Coriell leads or participates in several research partnerships, including the Camden Cancer Research Center and the Camden Opioid Research Initiative. For more information, visit www.coriell.org, like Coriell on Facebook, or follow @Coriell_Science on Twitter.
