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Review
. 2019 Jul 29;19(9):67.
doi: 10.1007/s11892-019-1186-6.

Genetics of Diabetic Retinopathy

Jonathan Han  1 , Leonardo Lando  2 , Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk  2 , Daniel L Chao  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Genetics of Diabetic Retinopathy

Jonathan Han et al. Curr Diab Rep. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: The goal of this paper is to review the latest findings in understanding the genetics of diabetic retinopathy. We highlight recent literature using a variety of molecular genetic techniques to identify variants which contribute to genetic susceptibility for diabetic retinopathy.

Recent findings: New genome-wide association study (GWAS) and whole-exome sequencing approaches have been utilized to identify both common and rare variants associated with diabetic retinopathy. While variants have been identified in isolated studies, no variants have been replicated across multiple studies. The identification of genetic factors associated with diabetic retinopathy remains elusive. This is due to the multifactorial nature of the disease, small sample sizes for GWAS, and difficulty in controlling covariates of the disease. Larger populations as well as utilization of new sequencing and data analysis techniques may lead to new insights into genetic factors associated with diabetic retinopathy in the future.

Keywords: Diabetic macular edema; Diabetic retinopathy; GWAS; Genetics; Whole exome.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Jonathan Han, Leonardo Lando, and Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Daniel L. Chao reports grants from the National Eye Institute and Brightfocus Foundation; being a consultant for Recens Medical, Zilia Health, and DTx Pharma; and being a co-founder and consultant for Visgenx.

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