UAB researchers have found a way to restore vision in blind mice who suffer from a rare retinal degenerative disease known as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Although the disease is rare, the finding represents hope for developing sight-restoring treatments for other forms of retinal degeneration before retinal cells die, says Steven Pittler, Ph.D., of UAB's Vision Science Research Center.
Pittler is co-author of a study on LCA that was published recently in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. By using oral doses of a vitamin A derivative called 9-cis-retinal, researchers were able to bypass the part of the eye that malfunctions in LCA and restore visual function in 8- to 12-week-old genetically altered mice models.
Contact Tracy Bischoff, Media Relations, 205-934-8935 or [email protected].
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