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Scientists develop a gene therapy to reverse age-related vision loss andglaucoma damage in mice
Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) scientists are part of a team that has successfully restored vision in mice by turning back the clock in aged eye cells in the retina to recapture youthful gene function.
The team’s work, published in the journal Nature, is the first demonstration that it may be possible to safely reprogram complex tissues, such as the nerve cells of the eye, to an earlier age. The researchers also successfully reversed vision loss in animals with a condition mimicking human glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness around the world. The achievement represents the first successful attempt to reverse glaucoma-induced vision loss, rather than merely stem its progression.