Summary
Optogenetic therapies using light-sensitive proteins inserted into retinal neurons offer a genotype-agnostic approach to restoring vision in degenerative eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma. While still largely in pre-clinical and early clinical trial phases, these advances have implications for understanding retinal photoreceptor biology and may eventually inform lighting design considerations for visually impaired populations.
Key Findings
- Optogenetic approaches can restore light sensitivity by inserting light-sensitive proteins into downstream retinal neurons that have lost intrinsic photoreceptor function, applicable across all genetic forms of retinal dystrophy.
- The CRY-CIBN optogenetic system has been applied to animal models of glaucoma, implicating OCRL in the regulation of intraocular pressure in trabecular meshwork.
- Multiple optogenetic therapeutic options are in pre-clinical and phase I/II clinical trials for major blinding diseases including glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa.
Categories
Eye Health & Vision: Reviews optogenetic approaches for restoring vision in degenerative retinal diseases including glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa.
The Science of Light: Discusses light-sensitive proteins and photoreceptor biology as therapeutic tools, relevant to understanding photoreceptor function and light-cell interactions.
Author(s)
PP Prosseda, M Tran, T Kowal, B Wang, Y Sun
Publication Year
2022
Number of Citations
19
Related Publications
Eye Health & Vision
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- Genetic reactivation of cone photoreceptors restores visual responses in retinitis pigmentosa
- Melanopsin and rod–cone photoreceptors play different roles in mediating pupillary light responses during exposure to continuous light in humans
- Characteristic patterns of dendritic remodeling in early-stage glaucoma: evidence from genetically identified retinal ganglion cell types
- Intrinsically photosensitive melanopsin retinal ganglion cell contributions to the pupillary light reflex and circadian rhythm
The Science of Light
- Phototransduction by retinal ganglion cells that set the circadian clock
- Color appearance models
- The mammalian circadian timing system: organization and coordination of central and peripheral clocks
- Diminished pupillary light reflex at high irradiances in melanopsin-knockout mice
- Melanopsin is required for non-image-forming photic responses in blind mice