A newly engineered virus could help promote the effectiveness of a gene-based vision treatment for the blind, according to researchers at UC Berkeley. With the new treatment, the virus is inserted into the eyeball in a fast and non-invasive manner.
The treatment is intended to help a myriad of eye conditions ranging from hereditary conditions through age associated vision loss. Lead researcher David Schaffer says this could greatly expand the options for eye surgeons:
"Sticking a needle through the retina and injecting the engineered virus behind the retina is a risky surgical procedure. But doctors have no choice, because none of the gene delivery viruses can travel all the way through the back of the eye to reach the photoreceptors -- the light sensitive cells that need the therapeutic gene.
"Building upon 14 years of research, we have now created a virus that you just inject into the liquid vitreous humor inside the eye, and it delivers genes to a very difficult-to-reach population of delicate cells in a way that is surgically non-invasive and safe. It's a 15-minute procedure, and you can likely go home that day," he adds.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com