May 20, 2015 at 12:30Vision can be restored with some types of blindness using technology using photosensitive algae molecules.
If the photoreceptors of the eye, due to trauma, illness, or due to a genetic predisposition, cannot fulfill their function, a person partially or completely loses sight. People are wearing glasses to fix this problem, but the new gene therapy is ready for human testing.
In 1990, an experiment was conducted: a person who had been blind for the past 50 years had an electric probe inserted into his eye. And the man saw the light, although the photoreceptors in his eyes died long ago. So scientists have found that ganglion cells with non-working photoreceptors remain able to send signals about images.
In 2005, a technique for studying the functioning of nerve cells appeared, which consists in introducing special channels, opsins, into their membrane, which reacts to excitation by light. The technique is called"Optogenetics . " A new technology that can partially restore vision is part of optogenetics.
The technology is focused on working with ganglion cells that are located behind the photoreceptors of the eye. Ganglion cells border the vitreous body of the eye and form the retinal layer, which receives light first. These cells receive a signal from photoreceptors and generate nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. Scientists propose to circumvent the "mediator" in the form of photoreceptors and create similar receptors in the ganglion cells themselves.
For this, photosensitive molecules from algae and microorganisms are implanted into the membranes of ganglion cells. For example, Channelrhodopsin-2, extracted from green algae. Protein is blocked when there is no light, but when it is present, the channel opens and passes ions.
Although optogenetics is technically a form of gene therapy, it functions somewhat differently. Instead of working with genes to restore photoreceptor function, the new method makes photosensitive cells out of transmitter cells, that is, it adds a new function to an existing one.
Potentially, the technology can be applied to 200,000 people suffering from blindness caused by one of the famous 250 gene mutations in the United States alone. In 2016, they plan to start human trials.
In 1990, an experiment was conducted: a person who had been blind for the past 50 years had an electric probe inserted into his eye. And the man saw the light, although the photoreceptors in his eyes died long ago. So scientists have found that ganglion cells with non-working photoreceptors remain able to send signals about images.
In 2005, a technique for studying the functioning of nerve cells appeared, which consists in introducing special channels, opsins, into their membrane, which reacts to excitation by light. The technique is called"Optogenetics . " A new technology that can partially restore vision is part of optogenetics.
The technology is focused on working with ganglion cells that are located behind the photoreceptors of the eye. Ganglion cells border the vitreous body of the eye and form the retinal layer, which receives light first. These cells receive a signal from photoreceptors and generate nerve impulses that are sent to the brain. Scientists propose to circumvent the "mediator" in the form of photoreceptors and create similar receptors in the ganglion cells themselves.
For this, photosensitive molecules from algae and microorganisms are implanted into the membranes of ganglion cells. For example, Channelrhodopsin-2, extracted from green algae. Protein is blocked when there is no light, but when it is present, the channel opens and passes ions.
Although optogenetics is technically a form of gene therapy, it functions somewhat differently. Instead of working with genes to restore photoreceptor function, the new method makes photosensitive cells out of transmitter cells, that is, it adds a new function to an existing one.
Potentially, the technology can be applied to 200,000 people suffering from blindness caused by one of the famous 250 gene mutations in the United States alone. In 2016, they plan to start human trials.