Gene therapy may help reverse blindness Researchers have shown that gene therapy might help reverse blindness by reprogramming cells.
Agencies | Published: October 4, 2017 9:54 am 1 Shares Facebook share Twitter share Share on Google+ Tags: Blindness Gene therapy Genes news-diseases-genes-behaviour-THS Researchers have shown that gene therapy might help reverse blindness by reprogramming cells at the back of the eye to become light sensitive. Retinitis pigmentosa — the most common cause of blindness in young people — occurs mostly due to loss of millions of light sensitive photoreceptor cells that line the retina. The remaining retinal nerve cells, which are not light sensitive, however, remain in the eye which can be treated using gene therapy, the researchers said. “There are many blind patients in our clinics and the ability to give them some sight back with a relatively simple genetic procedure is very exciting,” said lead author Samantha de Silva, specialist registrar, Ophthalmology and Clinical research training fellow at the University of Oxford. “Our next step will be to start a clinical trial to assess this in patients.” In the study, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team used a viral vector to express a light sensitive protein, melanopsin, in the residual retinal cells in mice which were blind from retinitis pigmentosa. Post treatment, the mice were monitored for over a year and they maintained vision during this time as they were able to recognise objects in their environment which indicated a high level of visual perception. The cells expressing melanopsin were able to respond to light and send visual signals to the brain, the researchers said. Read here Fish eyes may help find cure for blindness Source: IANS Image source: Shutterstock Published: October 4, 2017 9:54 am Disclaimer: TheHealthSite.com does not guarantee any specific results as a result of the procedures mentioned here and the results may vary from person to person. The topics in these pages including text, graphics, videos and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only and not to be substituted for professional medical advice. FROM AROUND THE WEB On 10/4/17, Akanksha Jain via Ai <ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in> wrote: > http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/gene-therapy-may-help-reverse-blindness-ag1017/ > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > > > > To check if the post reached the list or to search for old posting, reach: > https://www.mail-archive.com/ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in/maillist.html > _______________________________________________ > > > Ai mailing list > Ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in > http://accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in/mailman/listinfo/ai > Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. To check if the post reached the list or to search for old posting, reach: https://www.mail-archive.com/ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in/maillist.html _______________________________________________ Ai mailing list Ai@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in http://accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in/mailman/listinfo/ai
