[HN Gopher] Scientists use optogenetics for the first time to he...
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       Scientists use optogenetics for the first time to help a blind
       patient see again
        
       Author : bmau5
       Score  : 62 points
       Date   : 2021-05-24 19:17 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.statnews.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.statnews.com)
        
       | colechristensen wrote:
       | This "first" is one in a family of firsts. There have been other
       | in vivo genetic treatments for RP (and perhaps other eye related
       | genetic conditions)
       | 
       | This one involves inserting a nonhuman gene into existing cells
       | to turn them into a kind of hacked photoreceptor.
       | 
       | Another method involves crispr editing in place fixing the
       | mutation to its non diseased human equivalent (apparently not
       | possible in the article related type of RP which causes cell
       | death, can't fix what isn't there)
       | 
       | A third kind involves generating a stem cell line of the patient,
       | using crispr to fix the faulty gene, growing, and then implanting
       | fixed retinal cells into the patient.
       | 
       | I believe all three have now had "firsts" in human trials.
       | 
       | The article in question seems interesting, but the less exciting
       | of the three.
        
       | hall0ween wrote:
       | _Says one author of publication_ : "It's a major milestone," said
       | study leader and ophthalmologist Jose-Alain Sahel of the
       | University of Pittsburgh and the Sorbonne University in France.
       | 
       |  _Says unaffiliated doctor_ : "It's a small step forward but it
       | is a definite step forward in that they've been able to prove
       | that this does work in humans," said Paul Bernstein, an
       | ophthalmologist and retinal specialist at the University of Utah
       | School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.
       | 
       | It's neat to see optogenetics (and genetic manipulations in
       | general) being applied to humans. The journey from research to
       | real-world application is effing long.
        
         | savant_penguin wrote:
         | Really curious about the pacient's take too
        
       | whymauri wrote:
       | Anyone familiar with this know what the immune response/impact
       | was due to this treatment?
        
         | colechristensen wrote:
         | I have read papers for similar genetic engineering in eyes.
         | They infect the eye (or specific retina areas) with a virus,
         | there is local inflammation while the immune system does its
         | job with some mild side effects for a few weeks at most.
         | 
         | After the viral infection i never saw any mention of immune
         | rejection or other reaction to the modified tissues.
         | 
         | From my limited understanding, in order to have an immune
         | response there has to be something different for the immune
         | system to "see" usually on the surface of cells... expressing a
         | protein inside apparently doesnt raise to that level.
        
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       (page generated 2021-05-24 23:00 UTC)