A new article from the UC Berkeley Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science chronicles HWNI member John Flannery’s work to restore vision using a type of gene therapy called optogenetics. Flannery and his colleagues have injected genes for light-sensitive proteins into the eyes of blind mice, dogs, and even people to make a type of retinal cell that is usually spared in retinal diseases become newly responsive to light, bypassing the damaged photoreceptor cells.
Early studies have shown some success, and Flannery is now collaborating with HWNI member Stephen Brohawn, who has designed several new proteins that are much more sensitive to light, to try to further improve light perception and vision in a way that would make a meaningful difference for patients.
Read more about Flannery’s work from the School of Optometry & Vision Science.
