The man can now locate, identify, and count objects using the treated eye while wearing specialized goggles.
Optogenetic therapy, or manipulating proteins and cells with light, is an advanced technology developed in the early 2000s that drove major discoveries about the inner workings of our brains. Yet, while actively researched in experimental animals, functional improvement using this method was never reported in humans until now.
The pioneering study describes the first time a patient has achieved partial functional recovery in any neurodegenerative disease using optogenetic tools.
“I hope it will be a major breakthrough,” says first and corresponding author, José-Alain Sahel, chair of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh, director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Eye Center, and professor at Sorbonne University in France.
Blind man s sight partially restored using pioneering gene therapy
The 58-year-old man was able to recognise objects with the aid of light-stimulating goggles
A blind patient successfully locating various objects placed on a table (Image: Jose-Alain Sahel/Botond Roska/Nature Medicine/PA Wire)
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A 58-year-old blind man has been able to experience partial recovery of vision in one eye with the help of a breakthrough treatment using genetic engineering and light-activated therapy.
Scientists restore partial sight in blind man using optogenetic therapy
Updated:
Updated:
May 25, 2021 12:58 IST
During the tests, the patient was able to locate and touch a notebook on a table in front of him 92% of the time while wearing the goggles. Without them, he was unable to perform any visual task.
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Experimental setup. Behavioral responses and brain activity were simultaneously recorded during the visual test. Credit: Sahel, JA., Boulanger-Scemama, E., Pagot, C. et al. Partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient after optogenetic therapy. Nat Med (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01351-4
During the tests, the patient was able to locate and touch a notebook on a table in front of him 92% of the time while wearing the goggles. Without them, he was unable to perform any visual task.
If an algae protein can artificially allow neurons in the brain to translate light into electrical information, why can’t it do the same for damaged eyes?