A WOMAN has become the first person to receive gene therapy for one of the most common causes of sight loss.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) involves the deterioration of cells in the eye鈥檚 retina. Robert MacLaren at the University of Oxford and his team have been developing gene therapy to halt this, and preserve what remains of a person鈥檚 vision.
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The therapy is delivered in an engineered virus, which is injected under the retina. Last month, Janet Osborne, who has AMD, became the first person to receive this treatment as part of a safety trial. Her vision will be monitored regularly in coming months to gauge the operation鈥檚 success.
鈥淎 genetic treatment administered early on to preserve the vision in patients who would otherwise lose their sight would be a tremendous breakthrough,鈥� says MacLaren.
