Amazing How a Blind Man’s Vision Partially Restored After 40 Years With New Gene Therapy
In RP (Retinitis pigmentosa), cells in the retina get damaged and broken down, causing blindness. There is no other way to treat RP except gene replacement therapy that too only works on the early-onset phase.
However, researchers were able to bring back the vision with the help of an innovative treatment that used genetic
engineering and light-activated therapy. They used a technique known as optogenetics to genetically change cells
in the retina to enable them to produce light-sensitive proteins dubbed channelrhodopsins.
The treatment results in enabling gene coding for a channelrhodopsin protein dubbed ChrimsonR that can also detect amber light. To make this work, researchers also developed special glasses equipped with a camera that captured
and projected visual images to the retina at amber light wavelengths.
The patient went on training for a few months to get familiar with this, while genetically altered cells stabilised. And nearly seven months later, the patient however, showed signs of visual improvement.
During the initial testing, researchers also looked at his brain activity using EEG (electroencephalography). Researchers had put a tumbler on the table and asked the patient to tell whether it was present or absent on the
table.
End results revealed that the patient was able to see what was in front of him with 78 percent accuracy. Even
though it’s still in its early stages, researchers feel it is a crucial step for new targeted treatments for people
suffering from RP.
Botond Roska, founding director at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel and professor at
the University of Basel, Switzerland, said, “The findings provide proof of concept that using optogenetic therapy to
partially restore vision is possible.”
By Cynthia N.
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