A study led by the University of Bristol, UK has shown glaucoma could be successfully treated with a single injection using gene therapy, which would improve treatment options, effectiveness and the overall quality of a patient’s life.
glaucoma could be successfully treated with a single injection using gene therapy, which would improve treatment options, effectiveness and the overall quality of a patient’s life
The research team at Bristol Medical School: Translational Health Sciences designed a gene therapy and demonstrated proof of concept using experimental mouse models of glaucoma and human donor tissue.
Glaucoma is usually caused by fluid build-up in the front part of the eye, which increases pressure and progressively damages the nerves responsible for sight. Therefore, researches treated the ciliary body and, using the latest gene editing technology called CRISPR, a gene called Aquaporin 1 in the ciliary body was inactivated leading to reduced eye pressure.
Dr Colin Chu, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, said there is currently no cure for glaucoma, and treatments such as eye drops, laser or surgery all have their limitations and disadvantages.
“We hope to advance towards clinical trials for this new treatment in the near future. If it’s successful it could allow a long-term treatment of glaucoma with a single eye injection, which would improve the quality of life for many patients whilst saving the NHS (UK National Health Service) time and money,” said Dr Chu.
