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Groundbreaking gene therapy restores vision to two men
Groundbreaking gene therapy has restored vision to two men with a rare inherited eye disease who were expected to go blind.
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Patient 'grateful' after gene therapy improves eyesight
Jonathan Wyatt, who has a rare inherited eye disease, is one of the participants of a landmark gene therapy to treat blindness.
The 65-year-old barrister said learning he was going blind was a "sledgehammer blow" but there has been "substantial improvement" in his left eye which was treated as part of the trial.
"Now when I watch a football match on the TV, if I look at the screen with my left eye alone, it is as if someone has switched on the floodlights. The green of the pitch is brighter, and the numbers on the shirts are much clearer.
"I am extremely grateful to Professor MacLaren and his splendid team for all the care I received as a “guinea pig” in this groundbreaking research".
Professor 'did not expect' dramatic visual improvement
Professor Robert MacLaren, who led the gene therapy operations at Oxford Eye Hospital, said his team are "absolutely delighted" with the results so far.
Preliminary results from the first six patients taking part in a Phase One trial surprised the Oxford University team.
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Oxford University 'delighted' over gene therapy results
Preliminary results from the first six patients taking part in a Phase One trial surprised and delighted the Oxford University team.
Although the trial was only designed to test safety and dosages, two men with relatively advanced disease experienced dramatic improvements to their eyesight.
The researchers are now planning a larger Phase II trial that will focus on the therapy's effectiveness.
Groundbreaking gene therapy restores vision to two men
Groundbreaking gene therapy has restored vision to two men with a rare inherited eye disease who were expected to go blind.
Now, scientists hope early intervention with the surgical treatment will halt progression of the devastating disorder, choroideremia, before patients are robbed of their sight.
It is the first time gene therapy has successfully been applied to the light-sensitive photoreceptors of the retina, the digital camera at the back of the eye.