Latest Retinitis pigmentosa Stories

Experiments with zebra fish are helping identify genes linked to retinal diseases that cause blindness, a Purdue University scientist said. Once we know the genetic network that influences retinal development, we can begin to understand the changes in specific genes that lead to vision loss, Yuk Fai Leung said. With such information, treatments could be developed to prevent or reverse diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, he said. Using zebra fish, which are closer...

A U.S.-led team of medical researchers says cells isolated from the eye that many scientists believe are retinal stem cells are actually normal adult cells. The international study, led by Michael Dyer of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, suggests therapies to restore vision in people with retinal degeneration should emphasize the use of other types of stem cells. Stem cells are immature cells capable of producing large numbers of adult cells, such as retinal cells, the researchers...

Among zebrafish, the eyes have it. Inside them is a mosaic of light-sensitive cells whose structure and functions are nearly identical to those of humans. There, biologists at The Florida State University discovered a gene mutation that determines if the cells develop as rods (the photoreceptors responsible for dim-light vision) or as cones (the photoreceptors needed for color vision).Described in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the landmark...

VANCOUVER, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - QLT Inc. (NASDAQ: QLTI; TSX: QLT) ("QLT" or the "Company") today announced the results from a Phase Ia trial of QLT091001 in healthy adult volunteers. The trial demonstrated the drug is safe and well-tolerated and achieved its primary goal of estimating an appropriate dose for studies in patients. QLT091001 is an orally administered synthetic retinoid replacement for 11-cis-retinal, which is a key biochemical component of the visual retinoid...

Montreal March 2nd, 2009 "“ The team of Dr. Robert Koenekoop which includes Dr. Irma Lopez from the Research Institute of the MUHC at the Montreal Children's Hospital played a crucial role in the international collaboration that led to the discovery of a new gene that causes Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), two devastating forms of childhood blindness.This finding of this new gene, called SPATA7, is remarkable because it identifies a new retinal metabolic...

Anti-oxidants in the diet shown to halt vision-destroying conditionsThough based on mouse studies, the research bolsters the idea that humans suffering from these and other eye conditions may be able to help preserve function by adding antioxidants to their diet, and explains why this would work. The team also devised a new cell-based gene therapy technique that could eventually offer another option for arresting vision loss from these diseases.The work, led by Scripps Research Professor...

StemCells, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has reported that its proprietary HuCNS-SC product candidate, when transplanted into a well-established animal model, can protect the retina from progressive degeneration. This promising study was conducted by Raymond Lund, a researcher and professor at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and his research team. In this preclinical study, Dr Lund and his co-investigator at OHSU, Peter Francis, transplanted...

StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEM) reported today that its proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) product candidate (purified human neural stem cells), when transplanted into a well-established animal model, can protect the retina from progressive degeneration. Retinal degeneration leads to loss of vision in diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. This promising study was conducted by Dr. Raymond Lund, a researcher and professor at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health &...

CUMBERLAND, R.I., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held biotechnology company focused on the development of sight-saving therapeutics for chronic retinal diseases, announced today the opening of its new 27,000 square-foot GMP manufacturing facility in Cumberland, Rhode Island. With support from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) and its financing programs, Rhode Island Industrial Facilities Corporation (RIIFC) and Rhode Island...

VANCOUVER, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- QLT Inc. (NASDAQ: QLTI; TSX: QLT) announced today that it has initiated a Phase I safety study in healthy adults of QLT091001, an orally administered synthetic retinoid replacement therapy for 11-cis-retinal, which is a key biochemical component of the visual retinoid cycle. The drug is being developed for the potential treatment of Leber's Congenital Amourosis (LCA), an inherited progressive retinal degenerative disease that leads to retinal...