Vision treatment using gene therapy

SGGP 27/07/2023 08:56

Teenager Antonio regained his sight after years of living in darkness thanks to the use of gene therapy eye drops in the United States.

Vision treatment using gene therapy at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

This is considered promising news for millions of people with eye conditions. Since birth, Antonio has suffered from a rare genetic condition that causes blisters all over his body and in his eyes. This disease affects approximately 3,000 people worldwide . Antonio's condition stems from a mutation in a gene that produces the collagen 7 protein.

In August 2022, Antonio underwent surgery on his right eye. Following this, Dr. Alfonso Sabater at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in the US conducted an experimental treatment using gene-modified eye drops based on a therapy called Vyjuvek, which uses an inactivated herpes simplex virus to create functional copies of the gene. This line of eye drops was approved for treatment by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after two years of research and testing.

Before treatment, both of Antonio's eyeballs were covered in opaque scars. After treatment with gene therapy eye drops, the scars disappeared. Antonio's right eye vision reached 20/25, and his left eye vision was nearly 20/50. Antonio's skin also improved after participating in the clinical trial of this therapy.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dieu-tri-thi-luc-bang-lieu-phap-gene-post699156.html