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New clinical trials are in place for gene therapy to research the eye disease Choroidermia, a disorder that causes increased tunnel vision and variable sight difficulties with vision in the dark for sufferers.
The clinical trials will be started at the University of Alberta in Canada further to receiving a five million dollar grant being received by the Alberta Ocular Gene Therapy Team.
One doctor in particular, Dr MacDonald has been researching the condition for nigh on thirty years. Once he researched the genetic make up surrounding the condition he then cloned the gene and began to investigate therapies in animal and cell models.
The University will be carrying out the research over a period of two years with funding lasting for a further three using twelve patients primarily male as the condition affects mainly men. The idea is that the cells that are still viable in the eye will absorb this new gene and use it as a recipe book to create the proper enzyme that’s lacking.