Dr. Sheila Nirenberg at Cornell and Dr. William Hauswirth of the  Univ. of Florida will soon be setting up a human clinical trial to try their new technique that sends enhanced visual signals to the brain using a combination of a mathematical code and a technology called optogenetics.

To learn more about this discovery, please follow this link.

Due to a unique set of circumstances, it was disclosed that one of the dry AMD patients has gone from 20/400 (legally blind) to 20/40 (near normal vision). This is an amazing development.

Here is the story behind the story of how this disclosure occurred.

To read the story, please follow this link.

Here is a link to the company’s press release concerning the development.

Here is a brief summary of each article, along with the link to its online version and a note about finding the current versions of the tables associated with each, online.

The Current Status of Stem Cells in Eye Care, Advanced Ocular Care, March 2013

As noted, this is an update of the original article that appeared in the May/June issue of Retina Today.

“From an inauspicious start several years ago, the use of stem cells in the treatment of several ocular and retinal diseases has picked up steam over the past year.”

The article goes on to describe what stem cells are, the applications of stem cells in the various parts of the eye, a brief discussion of the status of some of the clinical trials, and concludes with a quote from Dr. Stephen Rose, chief research officer of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, who wrote, “Of course, it would be nice if all parts of our bodies, including our retinas, came with extended warranties so you could just swap them out when they go bad. But now that I think about it, that’s what stem cells might do for us someday.”

The Current Status of the Use of Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology, Retinal Physician, April 2013

“With the first approval of a gene therapy treatment for treating a genetic disorder in the Western world, the future of gene therapy for treating ocular disorders looks bright.”

The article goes on to discuss what gene therapy is and how it works; the applications of gene therapy in ophthalmology and clinical trial status for four ocular diseases – Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis, wet AMD, Stargardt Disease, and Usher Syndrom 1b; attempts to answer some remaining questions; and concludes with a quote from officials with the Office of Cellular, Tissue and Gene Therapies (OCTGT) for the FDA, “The recent history of gene therapy has been a mixture of promise and disappointment … Despite the setbacks of the past, the OCTGT shares the enthusiasm of the field and is confident that ongoing clinical investigations will lead to commercially available gene therapy products that are safe and effective and advance the public health.”

In addition, because of the lag between submission and publication of the above articles, the tables that are linked to the print and online versions of the above articles are currently out-of-date. I constantly update their contents and publish the latest versions online, which are accessible from my blog entry about each set of tables.

To access the online versions of the new articles and the updated stem cell and gene therapy tables, please follow this link.

Optogenetics refers to a technique for restoring vision that uses “opsins” to genetically convert retinal cells that were not previously, or natively light sensitive to become light sensitive, and thereby mimic the function of rods and cones.

For example, patients with retinitis pigmentosa experience progressive and irreversible vision loss because the rods and cones of their eyes die. Retrosense’s technique allows other cells in the retina (e.g., ganglion cells) to take the place of the rods and cones.

To read more, please follow this link.

Hemera recently has obtained initial funding, along with a U.S. patent for its CD59 gene therapy. The funding will allow Hemera to begin manufacturing its drug, as well as testing it on animals, and starting a Phase 1 study in humans.

To review, Hemera’s gene therapy uses an AAV2 vector to express a soluble form of a naturally occurring membrane bound protein called CD59 (sCD59), which blocks MAC (membrane attack complex). Membrane attack complex is the final common pathway of activation of the complement cascade, and is composed of complement factors C5b, C6, C7, C8 and C9 that assemble as a pore on cell membranes. The MAC pore induces ionic fluid shifts leading to cell destruction and ultimate death.

Hemera’s gene therapy works by increasing the production of sCD59 by ocular cells. The sCD59 released from the cells will circulate throughout the eye and penetrate the retina to block MAC deposition and prevent cellular destruction. By blocking MAC, the remainder of the upstream complement cascade is left intact to perform its normal homeostatic roles.

To read more, please take a look at my blog writeup by following this link: http://tinyurl.com/GeneTherapy17

My symptoms started one and a half years ago, and I have had the above treatment for one year.

I am interested in getting meibomian gland probing. However, due to finances and my current location, it won’t be possible for a few months.

Would you say I am at risk of gland atrophy, and should act urgently, or would it be alright to wait some months until getting the probing?

Last week, Professor Pierscionek and her team announced research findings suggesting that the way proteins are distributed in the lens of the eye may cause its gradient to be stepped rather than smooth as previously thought. The findings could provide new insight into how the eye grows and lead to major improvements in synthetic lenses used in cataract surgery.

Presently, artificial replacement lenses do match the quality of the eye’s real lens. Professor Pierscionek’s research could help manufacturers close the gap and give patients better vision.

Click here to read more about this development.

To read my full report on these developments, go to http://tinyurl.com/AMD-Update23

The laser emits a tiny pulse of energy into the back of the eye to remove the deposits that build up with age and contribute to AMD. Patients report that the treatment was completely painless.

The treatment is not suitable for people who have already developed the advanced form of AMD, either the dry or the wet form.

Click here for further details about the clinical trial and here for a CERA press release about the trial.

Clearside’s patented microinjection system is the only non-surgical application to introduce drugs into targeted eye tissue at the back of the eye via the SCS.

Click here for further details about this clinical trial.