A Revolution In Gene Therapy Is Unfolding, Bringing Hope for Vision Loss

A new approach to gene therapy resets cell homeostasis. Clinical trials to treat the retinal disorders Retinitis Pigmentosa, Stargardt’s, and Geographic Atrophy (late dry macular degeneration) are underway and showing promise.

Wilmer Eye Institute Awarded More Than $20 Million for Clinical Trial Investigating Genetic Eye Condition

The Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine has received two awards totaling more than $20 million from the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health, both of which will be used for a six-year clinical trial investigating a potential treatment for the most common inherited retinal disease, retinitis pigmentosa.

新的基因编辑技术成功地逆转小鼠的视力损失

视网膜色素变性症是人类失明的主要原因之一。中国的研究人员成功地恢复了患有视网膜色素变性症的小鼠的视力。该研究将于[三月十七日]发表在《实验医学杂志》上。该研究使用一种新型的、高度通用的CRISPR基因组编辑技术,有潜力纠正各种导致疾病的遗传突变。

New gene-editing technique reverses vision loss in mice

Researchers in China have successfully restored the vision of mice with retinitis pigmentosa, one of the major causes of blindness in humans. The study, to be published March 17 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, uses a new, highly versatile form of CRISPR-based genome editing with the potential to correct a wide variety of disease-causing genetic mutations.

Research to Prevent Blindness Marks $400 Million in Funding to Advance Eye Disease Research

Research to Prevent Blindness announces a new round of awardees who are generating critical knowledge around a host of sight-threatening conditions. With this latest round of funding, RPB has provided more than $400 million in research funding.

Specialty services offered for those with inherited retinal diseases 

A new service for people with rare eye conditions has opened at the University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine’s Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. The Inherited Retinal Disease Service offers state-of-the-art evaluation and consultation for patients with inherited retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa, Best disease, cone dystrophy, macular dystrophy, Stargardt disease and others.

jCyte Inc. Identifies Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients Most Likely to Respond in Planned Pivotal Study with jCell Therapy

jCyte’s presentation at ARVO 2021, demonstrated that retinitis pigmentosa patients treated with the 6 million cell dose of jCell therapy had significant gains in a broad range of visual function tests – BCVA, visual field (KVF), contrast sensitivity (CS), and low luminance mobility (LLMT) – all which measure important and different aspects of functional vision. jCyte also engaged the Cleveland Clinic to identify an anatomical biomarker for patient response to jCell therapy in retinitis pigmentosa, which will help guide the upcoming pivotal study.