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Experimental treatments restore partial vision to blind people
October 21, 2009Retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant show promise in human studies
Two experimental treatments, a retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant, restored some vision to people with blinding eye diseases. The findings, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health, may lead to new treatments for the blind. Researchers also reported that an engineered protein restored vision in an animal model and identified ways to improve stem cell treatments.
The new studies tested both people and animals with two degenerative eye diseases: retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. These diseases destroy the light-sensitive nerve cells in the retina, leading to blindness. In all, vision loss and eye disease affect 3.6 million Americans and cost the United States $68 billion each year.
Research released today shows that:
* A retinal prosthesis restores partial vision to people who are totally blind. The prosthesis, made of an array of electrodes, transmits visual information captured by a video camera (Jessy Dorn, PhD, abstract 216.6, see attached summary).
* Transplanted "sheets" of fetal retinal cells improve visual acuity in several people with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (Robert B. Aramant, PhD, abstract 837.12, see attached summary).
* Engineered, light-sensitive proteins restore vision in a mouse study of retinitis pigmentosa. The findings could lead to new treatments for people with degenerative retinal diseases (Natalia Caporale, PhD, abstract 806.10, see attached summary).
* As researchers strive to develop stem cell therapies for eye disease, a new method increases the yield of retinal cells from human stem cells derived from both embryonic and adult tissue (Jason S. Meyer, PhD, abstract 113.1, see attached summary).
"Basic neuroscience research has formed the basis for significant progress in treating eye disease," said press conference moderator Rachel O. L. Wong, PhD, of the University of Washington, an expert on visual system development. "These studies would not be possible without technological advances and basic science research that continues to explain the normal function and development of the visual system," Wong said.
Society for Neuroscience
Research released today shows that:
* A retinal prosthesis restores partial vision to people who are totally blind. The prosthesis, made of an array of electrodes, transmits visual information captured by a video camera (Jessy Dorn, PhD, abstract 216.6, see attached summary).
* Transplanted "sheets" of fetal retinal cells improve visual acuity in several people with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (Robert B. Aramant, PhD, abstract 837.12, see attached summary).
* Engineered, light-sensitive proteins restore vision in a mouse study of retinitis pigmentosa. The findings could lead to new treatments for people with degenerative retinal diseases (Natalia Caporale, PhD, abstract 806.10, see attached summary).
* As researchers strive to develop stem cell therapies for eye disease, a new method increases the yield of retinal cells from human stem cells derived from both embryonic and adult tissue (Jason S. Meyer, PhD, abstract 113.1, see attached summary).
"Basic neuroscience research has formed the basis for significant progress in treating eye disease," said press conference moderator Rachel O. L. Wong, PhD, of the University of Washington, an expert on visual system development. "These studies would not be possible without technological advances and basic science research that continues to explain the normal function and development of the visual system," Wong said.
Society for Neuroscience
Caltech scientists create robot surrogate for blind persons in testing visual prostheses
Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a remote-controlled robot that is able to simulate the "visual" experience of a blind person who has been implanted with a visual prosthesis, such as an artificial retina.
MIT retinal implant could help restore some vision
MIT engineers have designed a retinal implant for people who have lost their vision from retinitis pigmentosa or age-related macular degeneration, two of the leading causes of blindness.
Research could lead to new treatments for blindness
Scientists have discovered how to make cells sensitive to light in what may lead to a new approach to treating certain forms of blindness.
Researchers discover way to make cells in the eye sensitive to light
Researchers have discovered a way to make light sensitive cells in the eye by switching on a single gene.
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