GenSight Biologics Gene Therapy brought back partial vision to a blind man

Optogenetics is a phenomenon that is used to study the neural circuits in the brain. Optogenetics combines genetics and optical techniques to control the specific neural circuits inside human brains.

 

This technique is heavily employed, to provide treatment to patients with various psychiatric disorders. It is used in the treatment of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, parkinson’s, bipolar disorder. 

 

In the treatments related to mental disorders, optogenetics techniques can be used for memory enhancement. It reactivates dentate gyrus ingram cells that further brings glimpses of happy memories that insites positive response for a person. 

 

Now, further exploring more of this technique medical professionals are using optogenetics to give the gift of vision. Cataract, Glaucoma, Uncorrected Refractive Errors are some causes of blindness. 

 

GenSight  Biologics has been successful in bringing back  partial vision to a person suffering from blindness. Several other groups are also trying to use optogenetics for successful treatment in the cases related to blindness. The researchers are  targeting the cases of retinitis pigmentosa for gene therapy.

 

Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited eye disorder that causes a breakdown in the cells of the retina. Retinitis pigmentosa, causes blindness. 

 

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Gene Therapy

 

• For the therapy, nerve cells underneath the eye detecting layer are injected with a gene.

• The gene, or protein known as ChrimsomR found in algae helps the patients to respond to amber light.

• The vision improves gradually, usually it takes one year for the patient to start noticing lights.

• Post therapy patients are required to wear goggles with embedded  cameras and microprocessors, they respond by converting normal lights into amber lights.

• Amber wavelengths boost the signals and can be detected by altered cells.

 

The first person who received the gene therapy could see the black and white crossing on the pedestrian, his partial vision was restored. 

 

He was even capable of noticing the normal everyday objects like furniture, refrigerator, bookshelf. Although he still had a problem in recognizing people’s faces. 

 

The researchers are optimistic that later this therapy can be used to treat patients with different causes of blindness.

 

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As reported by NewScientist , José-Alain Sahel at the Vision Institute in Paris, who is working with the GenSight team said, “The man’s vision may improve further, because it takes time for the brain to learn to process the unusual signals from the eyes.” “What’s probably occurring is remodelling of the connectivity in the retina and the brain,” he added.