4 February 2010
Life sciences | Optogenetics | Retinitis pigmentosa | Imperial College London | United Kingdom
Imperial to lead German and Irish researchers in £2M optogenetics project
Science|Business
Scientists at Imperial College London are to take part in a £2 million project to develop a new genetic engineering technique called optogenetics that could lead to a new treatment for the hereditary eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of hereditary eye disorders affecting approximately one person in every 3,500. In the early stages it causes poor night vision, leading on to tunnel vision, which gradually worsens until there is a total loss of sight. RP inactivates the rod cells in the eyes, which are important for night vision. As RP progresses the cells die and this eventually results in the loss of remaining light-sensitive cells.
The aim of optogenetics is re-engineer nerve cells in the eye so that they are activated by light, rather than by electrical...
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