Glaucoma gene therapy successful in animal study

A functioning gene can be permanently transferred to targeted tissues in an animal eye, and this may lead the way to gene therapy treatments for glaucoma, a group of researchers at the Mayo Clinic said.

Nils Loewen and colleagues transferred a phosphorescent green protein naturally found in jellyfish to the eyes of 19 cats. The protein was encased in a viral delivery vector. When the vector reached the intended destination in the eyes, the cargo gene produced the jellyfish protein in the cats’ eyes, according to a press release from Mayo Clinic. Success was determined when the cats’ eyes turned green and stayed that way for more than a year postoperatively. According to the press release, the cats have normal vision.

The study is published in the September issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.