Technology

Protein in Algae said to restore vision

People born with inherited blindness could have their vision at least partially restored in future using chemicals extracted from algae, scientists report.

The researchers identified a protein in green algae which converts light into energy in the same way as cells in the human retina. Injections of the protein were used to treat born with a debilitating eye disease.

Although the work is only in its preliminary stages, the scientists believe that the discovery of the protein will eventually usher in new treatments for eye conditions for which there is currently no cure.

The mice used in the experiments were bred to develop a degenerative eye condition n which vital light-sensitive cells in the retina die off, leading to permanent blindness. The condition is similar to retinitis pigmentosa, which causes full or partial blindness in one in 1,000 people worldwide. Tests showed that after treatment, nerve cells in the animals' eyes that are not normally sensitive to light began sending signals to the brain's vision centres, suggesting they were helping to restore sight.

The research opens up the possibility of treatments which genetically modify cells in a person's retina to make them sense light and replace those destroyed by disease. "An important part of the strategy is that it does not involve the introduction of tissues or devices into the retina and, therefore, may largely avoid the complications of immune reactions," said Zhuo-Hua Pan, of Wayne State University in Detroit who led the study.

Source: Algae offer hope to blind. The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 8 April 2006.