A new gene therapy may help slow retinal degeneration

September 2, 2010

Certain eye disease may now have treatment in the form of non-viral gene therapy according to a new study published in Molecular Therapy, ScienceDaily.com reports.

Researchers at Tufts University treated mice that were suffering from retinal degeneration with nanoparticles that carry a specific gene. The retinas that were treated with that specific gene were found to show less cell death, and the eyesight of the mice was preserved.

"Our work shows that it is possible to attain therapeutic results using non-viral gene delivery methods, specifically, nanoparticles," senior author Rajendra Kumar-Singh, PhD, told the news source.

This is only the second study of this kind to have been conducted, and the first to have a positive result. Researchers are now working finding a way to make the improved eyesight permanent. They also hope to use the treatment for other eye diseases.

According to the American Optometric Association, age-related macular degeneration is the number one visual impairment among Americans age 60 and older.