Summary
This study demonstrates that bReaChES, a red-shifted channelrhodopsin delivered via intravitreal AAV injection, can restore light sensitivity in degenerated retinas at light levels consistent with normal indoor environments. For lighting designers and healthcare settings, this suggests that bright indoor lighting (approximately 13.6 log photons cm⁻² s⁻¹) may be sufficient to activate optogenetically treated retinas, with implications for environments serving visually impaired patients.
Key Findings
- bReaChES-expressing retinal ganglion cells generated action potentials at light levels from 13.6 log photons cm⁻² s⁻¹, consistent with bright indoor lighting conditions.
- Optogenetically restored RGCs could detect flicker at up to 50 Hz, approaching the upper temporal limit of human photopic vision (~60 Hz).
- Treated dystrophic mice showed restored cortical neuronal activity in response to light and rescued behavioral responses to looming stimuli simulating aerial predators.
- Human surgical retinal explants successfully transduced with the bReaChES vector, supporting potential clinical translation.
- bReaChES has peak sensitivity to long-wavelength (red-shifted) visible light, offering a spectral profile closer to normal human photopic vision compared to earlier channelrhodopsins.
Categories
Eye Health & Vision: Investigates optogenetic gene therapy using bReaChES channelrhodopsin to restore vision in retinal degeneration models.
The Science of Light: Examines spectral sensitivity, temporal response characteristics, and photon thresholds of engineered light-sensitive neurons relevant to photoreceptor biology.
Author(s)
LK Too, W Shen, DA Protti, A Sawatari, D A. Black
Publication Year
2022
Number of Citations
1
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