June 19, 2023
Keio University School of Medicine
A research group led by Associate Professor Toshihide Kurihara and Project Assistant Professor Yusaku Katada of the Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, and Professor Kenji Tanaka of the Division of Brain Science, Institute for Advanced Medical Research, has discovered a method to improve the effectiveness of gene therapy for vision restoration using optogenetics while investigating the neural circuits that control photoreception. They also confirmed for the first time in the world that starburst amacrine cells are involved in this process.
Gene therapy for vision restoration using optogenetics is attracting attention as a technology to overcome intractable blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, a leading cause of blindness in young people. Although clinical trials are already underway overseas, it is difficult to restore vision with conventional methods alone, and further improvements are needed. This study has now confirmed a methodology in animal experiments that can restore vision, and it is expected to be applied to the practical use of future vision restoration therapies.
The results of this research were published in Molecular Therapy - Methods & Clinical Development on May 11, 2023 (GMT).
For the full press release, please see below.