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NEI Research News

Thanks to the work of NEI scientists and grantees, we’re constantly learning new information about the causes and treatment of vision disorders. Get the latest updates about their work — along with other news about NEI.

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NEI-funded researchers “push the ENVLPE” with new virus-like particle to fix mutations causing blindness

New CRISPR gene editing approach may also be useful for treating other inherited diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and familial hypercholesterolemia
optic nerves

Nerve regrowth in sight

UConn scientists led by Ephraim Trakhtenberg regrew optic nerves in mice through eye injections of fibronectin peptides (pieces of the larger protein).

CRISPR gene editing promising for blinding disease retinitis pigmentosa

National Eye Institute-funded scientists using gene editing corrected a mutation in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited blinding eye disorder. The gene editing strategy restored production of rhodopsin, and retinal function and structure
LCA is an inherited disorder that causes vision loss in childhood. It primarily affects the functioning of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye, as shown here. Photo credit: National Eye Institute

Participants of pioneering CRISPR gene editing trial see vision improve

About 79% of clinical trial participants experienced measurable improvement after receiving experimental, CRISPR-based gene editing that is designed to fix a rare form of blindness.

Researchers closing in on genetic treatments for hereditary lung disease, vision loss

Researchers who work with tiny drug carriers known as lipid nanoparticles have developed a new type of material capable of reaching the lungs and the eyes, an important step toward genetic therapy for hereditary conditions like inherited vision loss.
fMRI of dog brain showing bright activation in the visual cortex.

Using fMRI, new vision study finds promising model for restoring cone function

Researchers have found that in dogs, fMRI can detect brain responses to daylight vision for black and white information as well as color information, and identify the area of the visual cortex that responds to stimulation of a cone-rich retinal region.
The image on the left is labeled "Normal retina," and shows green rods and red cones. The image on the right is labeled "Retina affected by retinitis pigmentosa," and shows green rods that have broken down.

Researchers engineer in vivo delivery system for prime editing, partially restoring vision in mice

By adapting virus-like particles to carry the machinery for a type of gene editing called prime editing, scientists have corrected disease-causing mutations in animals and increased editing efficiency.

New gene-editing technique holds potential for treating childhood blindness

Using a new experimental technique to fix faulty eye cells, a team led by University of Wisconsin researchers was able to repair a gene mutation that causes one form of childhood blindness.

Precision eye therapy for dogs ready for human clinical development

A successful gene therapy trialed at Michigan State University in dogs with an inherited eye disease is ready to be developed for clinical use in human patients with a rare condition called retinitis pigmentosa.

University of Houston researcher builds new model to examine Usher syndrome

Syndrome is a leading cause of combined deafness-blindness