News

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common disease of the retina and the main cause of vision loss in adults over 60 years. It is estimated that 3 million people worldwide are affected, and its incidence increases as life expectancy grows in developed countries. AMD is a progressive disease that affects the macula, the area near the...

Direct reprogramming of skin cells into photoreceptors in mice

27/05/20 - Research, Therapy, Cell Therapy,

The end result of many retinal dystrophies is photoreceptor cell death and the irreversible loss of vision. To prevent the progressive loss of retinal neurons, and to slow down or reverse the progression of the disease, gene therapies are currently under study to correct or replace the altered genes responsible for different retinopathies. Another therapeutic strategy that is under intensive...

Advances in gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa due to RPGR gene mutation

12/05/20 - Retinal Dystrophy, Retinitis pigmentosa, Gene Therapy,

In the first months of 2020, positive results in gene therapy of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) have been reported. XLRP is an inherited genetic disorder that causes progressive vision loss, mainly in men. It begins in childhood with night blindness, progresses with the gradual reduction of the visual field and visual acuity, and leads to blindness in the fourth decade...

A third of the world’s population carries mutations associated with retinal dystrophies

06/04/20 - Genetic Diagnosis, Retinal Dystrophy, Research, Mutation,

A very recent study published in the scientific journal PNAS highlights an estimate, on a global scale, of the frequency of individuals carrying pathogenic mutations responsible for inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD) and illustrates the prevalence of this group of diseases. These data are highly relevant for genetic diagnosis, genetic counselling and the design of new therapies. The authors studied the...

A revolutionary CRISPR gene editing technique applied for the first time to a patient with a visual disorder

16/03/20 - Leber Congenital Amaurosis, Gene editing, Therapy, Gene Therapy,

The patient, treated at the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon, belongs to a group of 18 people affected with Leber congenital amaurosis. These patients will participate in the BRILLIANCE study, the first clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of a therapy based on the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique (AGN-151587, EDIT-101). It is the first example of an...

First gene therapy application of Luxturna in the UK

26/02/20 - Leber Congenital Amaurosis, Retinal Dystrophy, Therapy, Gene Therapy,

This February Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford have started treating patients affected by Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) with the Luxturna gene therapy. LCA is a childhood-onset severe retinal dystrophy, which causes irreversible blindness for which, until now, no treatment was available. Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec) is also the first gene therapy approved for the treatment of an...

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