On 4/21/12, Wahid Raza <wahid...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hi all, > hope all are doing fine > pasting below article, which get from another list. > Regards > Wahid > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > > Photoreceptor transplant restores vision in blind mice > Posted by: Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity > 18th April, 2012 > > GOSHCC Professor of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Jane Sowden, > is part of a research team who have shown for the first time that > transplanting light-sensitive photoreceptors into the eyes of visually > impaired mice can restore their vision. > > She hopes this exciting development will pave the way for similar > approaches in humans, and clinical trials of new therapies to treat > degenerative and inherited retinal diseases that cause a third of > cases of childhood blindness. > > Transplanting photoreceptors > > The research, led by Professor Robin Ali and a joint team at the UCL > Institute of Ophthalmology and the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH) > (and published in Nature) suggests that transplanting photoreceptors - > the light-sensitive nerve cells that line the back of the eye - could > form the basis of a new treatment to restore sight in people with > degenerative eye diseases. > > "The type of blindness we've been researching is common," says > Professor Jane Sowden, who heads up the ICH team: "Retinal diseases > that cause the loss of photoreceptor cells are one of the major causes > of untreatable blindness, which include inherited retinal diseases > that affect around 1 in 3000 people, and are responsible for around > the third of cases of childhood blindness." > > > > "We have been aiming to develop new therapies for retinal diseases > which would involve transplanting new photoreceptor cells to replace > those that are lost through disease. Over the last decade we've been > developing ways to transplant photoreceptor cells into the retina. " > > Remarkable tests > > "In this new study we've been able to show that by transplanting > photoreceptors into the retina of mice who are born with a form of > blindness that the new cells are able to make connections that are > functional." > > Not only this, but after four to six weeks, the transplanted cells > appeared to be functioning almost as well as normal photoreceptor > cells. They had also formed the vital connections needed to transmit > visual information to other cells in the retina, and onwards to the > brain. > > Jane continues: "We performed a number of different tests, but one of > the most remarkable was the fact that the treated animals were able to > navigate their way through a maze, whereas the untreated animals were > not, demonstrating that the cells were functioning. So the treated > animals were using this visual information to modify their behaviour." > > Promise for the future > > She thinks this shows exciting promise for future research and > potential treatments: "What we've shown for the first time is that the > transplantation of new photoreceptor cells can restore vision. What we > hope is that it will be possible to develop similar approaches for the > treatment of human blindness. > > There are many steps we need to undertake before we're in a position > to do that, but based on the similarities between the mouse and the > human retina we think that this may be a future treatment for > currently untreatable retinal disease." > > You can view the full Nature paper here. > > The research was funded by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome > Trust, the Royal Society, the British Retinitis Pigmentosa Society, > Alcon Research Institute and The Miller's Trust. Professor Jane Sowden > is funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. > > watch video clip: > > Photoreceptor transplant restores vision in mice - Jane Sowden GOSHCC > Professor > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Nn7eLFE0w&feature=player_embedded > Uploaded by GOSHCharity on Apr 18, 2012 > > GOSHCC Professor of Developmental Biology and Genetics, Jane Sowden, > is part of a research team who have shown for the first time that > transplanting light-sensitive photoreceptors into the eyes of visually > impaired mice can restore their vision. She hopes this exciting > development will pave the way for similar approaches in humans, and > clinical trials of new therapies to treat degenerative and inherited > retinal diseases that cause a third of cases of childhood blindness. > > ------ > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ > > To unsubscribe send a message to > accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please > visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > >
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