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In a first, scientists have shown that a blind person’s vision can be improved through the application of genetic therapy.
A 58-year-old man lost his sight 40 years ago to retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited condition that breaks down the retina, the cells lining the eyeball that respond to light, but leaves the eye’s connection to the brain intact.
The man could vaguely perceive the difference between light and dark but nothing else.
Into one of his eyeballs, scientists at Switzerland’s Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology injected an opsin – a protein activated by light – taken from an amoeba.
They waited a few months for the opsin to multiply and grow into a layer of light receptors atop the destroyed retina. Then they fitted the man with goggles that turned images from the outside world into light patterns projected onto the opsin layer at a wavelength that would activate it.
Wearing the goggles, the man found he could see the white stripes on a pedestrian crosswalk. He also was able to see dark objects on a white tabletop that he couldn’t see without the goggles.
Tests also showed activity in the previously dormant visual cortex of the man’s brain.
TRENDPOST: This proof of concept will lead to research genetically engineering opsins that are more sensitive to light and tailored to replace failed retinas, eventually leading to a cure not only for this particular kind of blindness but also for others as the research expands.