Surgeons in Oxford have used a gene therapy technique to improve the vision of six patients who would otherwise have gone blind.
The operation involved inserting a gene into the eye, a treatment that revived light-detecting cells.
The doctors involved believe that the treatment could in time be used to treat common forms of blindness.
Prof Robert MacLaren, the surgeon who led the research, said he was "absolutely delighted" at the outcome.
"We really couldn't have asked for a better result," he said.
More on this uplifting story here.
Eddie
2 comments:
Caution maybe? Uplifting definitely.
"Professor MacLaren believes that success with choroideremia demonstrates the principle that gene therapy could be used to cure other forms of genetic blindness including age-related macular degeneration."
Once scientists start altering genes caution has to be the word. But this could have so many good outcomes, and for so many.
Science can bring many good things, it is how we deal with it for the good of the people. I wish the team well in future years, and I'm sure we will be hearing and learning more about this.
All the best Jan
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