Two experimental treatments, a retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant, have restored some vision to people with blinding eye diseases. The findings, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience held this year in Chicago, may lead to new treatments for the blind.
Researchers also reported that an engineered protein restored vision in an animal model and identified ways to improve stem cell treatments.
The new studies tested both people and animals with two degenerative eye diseases: retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. These diseases destroy the light-sensitive nerve cells in the retina, leading to blindness. In all, vision loss and eye disease affect 3.6 million Americans and costs the U.S. $68 billion each year.
Research released at the show reveals that:
* A retinal prosthesis (artificial retina) restores partial vision to people who are totally blind. The prosthesis, made of an array of electrodes, transmits visual information captured by a video camera. This work was performed by Jessy Dorn, of Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., lead author of the study. Additional support was received from researchers at the Univ. of Alabama, Birmingham; Johns Hopkins Univ. School of Medicine; and the Retina Foundation of the Southwest.
* Transplanted "sheets" of fetal retinal cells improve visual acuity in several people with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. This work was performed by Robert Aramant, visiting scientist at the Univ. of California, Irvine and lead author. Additional support was received from researchers at the Psychological and Brain Science Center at the Univ. of Louisville; NIDEK Inc. in Fremont, Calif.; the Transplantation Center at the Cleveland Clinic; Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Ky.; and the Retina Resource Center in Louisville.
Engineered, light-sensitive proteins restore vision in a mouse study of retinitis pigmentosa. The findings could lead to new treatments for people with degenerative retinal diseases. This work was led by Natalia Caporale and colleagues at the Univ. of California, Berkeley along with researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Md.
* As researchers strive to develop stem cell therapies for eye disease, a new method increases the yield of retinal cells from human stem cells derived from both embryonic and adult tissue. This work was led by Jason Meyer and colleagues in the Waisman Center in the Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison,
* Basic neuroscience research has formed the basis for significant progress in treating eye disease," said press conference moderator Rachel Wong, at the Univ. of Washington, an expert on visual system development. "These studies would not be possible without technological advances and basic science research that continues to explain the normal function and development of the visual system," says Wong.
This research was supported by national funding agencies, such as the NIH, and by private and philanthropic organizations.
Source: Society for Neuroscience