A new type of Gene Therapy demonstrates the potential to treat Blindness

(c) Veronique Juvin, Sciartwork

Doctors have been able to use a form of gene therapy described as optogenetics for the first time to restore partial vision in a blind person. The research team genetically altered retinal ganglion cells to become light-sensitive in a man whose vision was destroyed by retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disorder that breaks down cells that absorb and convert light into brain signals.

Immune system may slow degenerative eye disease

A new study shows that the complement system, part of the innate immune system, plays a protective role to slow retinal degeneration in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited eye disease. This surprising discovery contradicts previous studies of other eye diseases suggesting that the complement system worsens retinal degeneration. 

The research was performed by scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and appears in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Significant Visual Improvement Reported in Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa in a cell therapy clinical trial

(c) ReNeuron

ReNeuron Group plc, a UK-based company focused on development of cell-based therapeutics, has announced encouraging results from an early stage trial of its cell therapy for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which, if approved, could be a competitor to Spark/Novartis’s Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec). Unlike the already-approved gene therapy Luxturna, ReNeuron’s cell-based therapy would not be limited to patients with a disease caused by a certain mutation.

GenSight received MHRA approval for testing Gene Therapy + Device in Retinitis Pigmentosa. May test patients with dry AMD

(c) GenSight Biologics

GenSight Biologics, a biopharma company focused on discovering and developing innovative gene therapies for retinal neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system disorders, announced UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) acceptance of the Company’s Clinical Trial Application (CTA) to initiate the PIONEER Phase I/II study of GS030 in patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP).

Nanotechnology breakthrough will lead to a better artificial retina for visually impaired

(c) American Chemical Society

 
Scientists from Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers in collaboration with colleagues from Tel Aviv University and Newcastle University, have developed a new light-sensitive film that could one day form the basis of a prosthetic retina to help people suffering from retinal damage or degeneration.

Rosemary may have a beneficial effect for patients with Age-related macular degeneration and Retinitis Pigmentosa

Scientists at the Del E Web Center for Neuroscience, Aging, and Stem Cell Research, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, California, have found that carnosic acid (CA), present in rosemary extract, may potentially have clinical application to diseases affecting the outer retina, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP).