Genes from algae used to treat blindness

French biotech firm GenSight Biologics has been granted permission to employ gene therapy as a treatment for blindness in a trial that will see the first use of optogenetics in humans.

After being given the green light by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the company announced that it would treat a group of UK citizens suffering from Retinitis Pigmentosa (PR) - a genetic disorder which affects cells in the retina and causes gradual loss of vision.

The technique, which has previously been used only in animals, involves inserting an algae gene into a patient’s nerve cells via ‘a single intravitreal injection’. It is hoped that the treated nerve cells in the eye would transform into light sensitive cells, thus improving vision.