New Advance in Gene Therapy for Blindness
US scientists on Wednesday reported a new advance in using gene therapy to restore eyesight in people with a rare, inherited form of blindness.
The therapy, which had been previously tried in just one eye of 12 people, worked well when injected into the other eye of three of the patients, offering a sign that the treatment is safe, effective and will not be rejected by the body.
“Our concern was that the first treatment might cause a vaccine-like immune response that could prime the individual’s immune system to react against a repeat exposure,” said lead author Jean Bennett, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania.
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