Gene therapy helps improve sight of the blind

Two new human trials of a gene therapy for inherited blindness have demonstrated that injecting replacement genes under the retinas of the blind can spur at least partial sight in some volunteers. In one trial in the UK, one of three blind volunteers was able to navigate a maze after being treated. In another, the sight of all three volunteers taking part in a U.S. trial was improved somewhat. In the UK trial, researchers delivered replacement RPE65 genes using a harmless virus--a common tactic in gene therapy. And scientists feel that they may be close to offering the therapy to the blind around the world.

"This really paves the way for developing a treatment for people who have so far had no prospect of a cure," Robin Ali, a UCL ophthalmologist at UCL, told the Guardian. "If everything goes well, it's possible that within two to three years it might be approved for use in the clinic."

- read the article in the Guardian

ALSO: That success helped propel a big rise in the shares of Targeted Genetics, but not big enough to get over the $1-per-share mark. Report

Related Articles:
Scientists herald "breakthrough" on blindness
Gene therapy advance a better way to target genes
Gene therapy makes a big comeback
Trial death spurs questions about gene therapy