mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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 Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:30 pm Post subject: Amazing grace.. |
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Was blind, but now, I see.
Real life miracles, courtesy of science:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-blind-man-who-was-given-the-gift-of-sight-by-gene-therapy-816629.html
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The blind man who was given the gift of sight by gene therapy
Mr Howarth is one of the first three patients to be treated with the experimental therapy by specialists at University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital
A pioneering gene therapy trial has helped a blind man to see in a breakthrough that brings hope to millions affected by eye diseases. British scientists have claimed a world first for the revolutionary treatment, which involved a single injection into the retina at the back of the eye.
Steven Howarth, 18, from Bolton, who has a rare inherited eye disorder which has left him with extremely poor vision and completely unable to see in the dark, improved sufficiently after the treatment to be able to navigate a "maze" in conditions similar to street lighting at night.
Experts hailed the research, supported by �1m from the Department of Health, as a major advance in the treatment of blindness and predicted it would lead to new developments in gene therapy for other conditions.
Dawn Primarolo, the Public Health minister, said: "This is a major achievement for British science and the NHS and shows we truly are at the forefront of innovation."
The injection was given into the back of Mr Howarth's worse- affected eye, which had almost no vision, especially in low light. A video of him with his "good" eye covered, taken before the treatment was carried out, shows him trying to find his way through a maze of three doorways and repeatedly bumping into walls and losing his sense of direction. Six months after receiving the injection, a repeat video shows an astonishing improvement. He can be seen negotiating a similar maze in low light in seconds, without mishap.
Mr Howarth is one of the first three patients to be treated with the experimental therapy by specialists at University College London (UCL) and Moorfields Eye Hospital. The other two patients, aged 17 and 23, suffered no ill effects but did not report any improvement. The results are published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Results of a similar trial by a rival US group at the University of Pennsylvania, which began eight months after the British trial, are also reported in the journal today. Three patients, one aged 19 and two aged 26, were injected and are reported to have improved vision as measured by standard eye tests. One showed an improved ability to navigate an obstacle course. However, one of the American patients developed a hole in the retina, thought to be due to the surgery, though this did not affect their sight.
Robin Ali, professor of human molecular genetics at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, who led the British study, said: "We are thrilled. We started with the most difficult cases � with late-stage disease, using a low dose and in the worst affected eye � because we were being cautious. As we move to younger patients with an increased dose we expect better results." |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:08 pm Post subject: |
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That's really awesome. It's exciting to hear news like that.
I did have to smile at this though: Dawn Primarolo, the Public Health minister, said: "This is a major achievement for British science and the NHS and shows we truly are at the forefront of innovation."
Just change the name of the country... |
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