Researchers combine genetic therapy and event cameras to recover some blind views
Imagine, if you want, slowly go blind for forty years – wake up every morning with a little bit of your gray peripheral vision, your world disappears behind a shrinking vision hole, finally fading into a full depth that is not broken blindness As a fotorective cell that is damaged in your eyes fails. That’s the fate of being suspected of being 58 years old who suffered retinitis pigmentosa over the past four decades. He chose to participate in a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Basel, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Startup Genght Biologics. Instead of sinking into an unexpected darkness, this patient is actually, unexpectedly, has a portion of the visual perception that is restored thanks to the latest hybrid biological technology therapy known as optogenetics.
“I think the new field is being born,” University of Basel Professor and researcher Botond Roska told reporters during a conference call recently announced the results of the team.
Imagine, if you want, slowly go blind for forty years – wake up every morning with a little bit of your gray peripheral vision, your world disappears behind a shrinking vision hole, finally fading into a full depth that is not broken blindness As a fotorective cell that is damaged in your eyes fails. That’s the fate of being suspected of being 58 years old who suffered retinitis pigmentosa over the past four decades. He chose to participate in a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Basel, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Startup Genght Biologics. Instead of sinking into an unexpected darkness, this patient is actually, unexpectedly, has a portion of the visual perception that is restored thanks to the latest hybrid biological technology therapy known as optogenetics.
“I think the new field is being born,” University of Basel Professor and researcher Botond Roska told reporters during a conference call recently announced the results of the team.
Optogenetics, as the name suggests, optical melds and genetics, allows researchers to control individuals, in vitro neurons using visible light. Light sensing molecules are first introduced to brain cells and then activated through light pulses from optical fiber threads. The molecule turns light into an electrical impulse that causes the neuron to stick to it too, allowing researchers to activate certain neurons on demand and potentially influence the behavior and response of the subject.
This neuromodation methodology has been used in neurology for decades to study the functions of the central nervous system on the TimeScale millimeter (a big step from the day and the moon he used to take results that can be observed with traditional genetic techniques). In recent years, optogenetics have been taken back as a therapeutic technique to help treat – and have the potential to reverse Hereditarist blindness such as Rp. Of 4,000 people born in the US every year.
The Basel-UPMC University team took the basic theory behind optogenetics and applied it to the retina as part of their Pioneer 1 / 2A study, using technology developed by GenGht Biologics. This is a two-branch approach using biological and technology components. On the side of the BIO, the researchers first target retinal ganglion cells of patients to receive genetic therapy that will make it photototive. Usually ganglion cells are not photosensitive – it’s a job for sticks and cones – and they only carry electrical charges produced by photorespification cells to the optical nerve. But since Rp. It has been damaged and destroyed the patient’s stick and cone, this ganglion must be modified to attract multiple tasks.