Blindness News and Research

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Latinos have higher rates of developing visual impairment than non-Hispanic whites: Researchers

Latinos have higher rates of developing visual impairment, blindness, diabetic eye disease, and cataracts than non-Hispanic whites, researchers found. These are the first estimates of visual impairment and eye disease development in Latinos, the largest and fastest growing minority population in the United States.

3 May 2010

Roche announces results of phase III T-emerge 3 study of taspoglutide in diabetics

Ipsen, a global biopharmaceutical group, today announced that its partner Roche has disclosed results of the phase III T-emerge 3 study in patients with diabetes with taspoglutide, the first once weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogue based on a human sequence. Taspoglutide originating from Ipsen's research is developed by Roche.

29 Apr 2010

Researchers participate in national multi-center trial comparing treatments for diabetic macular edema

A drug may be more effective against the leading cause of adult blindness than laser treatments, a new study has shown.

28 Apr 2010

Phase II clinical trial to test safety and efficacy of transplanted encapsulated islets

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation announced today that it is partnering with Living Cell Technologies, a New Zealand-based biotechnology company focused on developing cell based therapeutics, in a Phase II clinical trial to study the safety and effectiveness of transplanting encapsulated insulin-producing cells from pigs as a treatment for type 1 diabetes with significant hypoglycemia unawareness.

28 Apr 2010

Patients can reduce frequency of Botox- Cosmetic injections and still receive same benefits: Research

Patients can decrease the frequency of Botox- Cosmetic injections after approximately two years and still receive most of the same wrinkle-smoothing cosmetic benefits, according to new research at Oregon Health & Science University.

27 Apr 2010

First patient enrolled in Phase II clinical trial of E10030 for treatment of wet age-related AMD

Ophthotech Corp., a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on developing ophthalmic therapies for back-of-the-eye diseases, today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in its Phase II randomized, controlled clinical trial of E10030, an anti-PDGF aptamer, in combination with Lucentis® for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

26 Apr 2010

Animal studies demonstrate safety profile of ACT's RPE cell therapy for SMD

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced today that it has completed key animal studies in connection with its Phase I multicenter study using embryonic stem cell derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) cells to treat patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD), for which it filed an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November. The studies demonstrated an excellent safety profile with no safety signals such as tumors or ectopic tissues.

24 Apr 2010

Alimera Sciences prices initial common stock public offering at $11.00 per share

Alimera Sciences, Inc. today announced that it priced its initial public offering of 6,550,000 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $11.00 per share on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.

24 Apr 2010

State of California adds Distracted Driving as new area for concentrated effort to SHSP

Driver distractions have joined alcohol and speeding as leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes. The National Safety Council estimates that up to 25 percent of all crashes in 2008 involved talking on cell phones or texting. To combat this growing threat on our roadways, the State of California has added Distracted Driving as the first new area for concentrated effort to the Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

23 Apr 2010

New gene therapy to restore retinal cone function and day vision

Veterinary ophthalmology researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have used gene therapy to restore retinal cone function and day vision in two canine models of congenital achromatopsia, also called rod monochromacy or total color blindness.

22 Apr 2010

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents new data on ALN-TTR01 RNAi therapeutic at amyloidosis symposium

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, presented new pre-clinical data from its ALN-TTR program at the XII International Symposium on Amyloidosis in Rome on April 18 - 21, 2010. ALN-TTR01 is a systemically delivered RNAi therapeutic being developed for the treatment of transthyretin (TTR)-mediated amyloidosis (ATTR), including familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy (FAP) and familial amyloidotic cardiomyopathy (FAC).

22 Apr 2010

Diabetic mice generate new insulin-producing cells following extreme cell destruction

Type 1 diabetes is the most common cause of diabetes in children, although it may occur at any age. Also called juvenile diabetes, this pathology usually results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

16 Apr 2010

Embryos with two mums to remove the risk of hereditary diseases: new research

New research published in the journal Nature, could pave the way to world’s first genetically modified human baby. The research involves making embryos with genes from one man and two women. There are hundreds or families around the world who are left childless or have serious ill babies because they carry genes for hereditary illnesses. This research may bring hope to such couples. According to scientists on the team, within the next three years these women will be able to avail such techniques. There has been skepticism regarding ethical issues attached to making of “designer babies”.

16 Apr 2010

Study on primary cilia formation may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies

A team of scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a network of genes that initiate and manage cilia formation. Although scientists have known about cilia for decades, only recently have they discovered their role in disease. This new discovery, which may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies, will appear in the April 15 edition of Nature.

16 Apr 2010

Spring is busting out all over - and so are eye allergies

Ah, spring. The time of year when trees and flowers bloom sending pollen into the air and causing sneezing, runny noses and watery eyes. The Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America estimates that 1 in 5 individuals are affected by eye allergies.

15 Apr 2010

Implanting blue light-filtering IOLs during cataract surgery may help preserve retina health

Implanting blue light-filtering intraocular lenses during cataract surgery helps maintain visual function and may preserve the health of the retina, specifically in disease states such as age-related macular degeneration, according to a comprehensive review published in the May/June 2010 edition of Survey of Ophthalmology.

13 Apr 2010

Tufts Medical Center researchers discover new biological pathway for advanced AMD

Researchers at Tufts Medical Center and collaborators discovered a new biological pathway for advanced age-related macular degeneration that implicates a role of the hepatic lipase gene, LIPC. This discovery will improve understanding of the disease by providing researchers another developmental pathway to explore for prevention and treatment.

13 Apr 2010

DHA crucial for male fertility

According to a University of Illinois study, omega-3 fatty acids may be good for more than heart health. A little-known omega-3 may have implications for treating male infertility.

13 Apr 2010

Nanotechnology-based vaccine cures mice with type 1 diabetes

Using a sophisticated nanotechnology-based "vaccine," researchers were able to successfully cure mice with type 1 diabetes and slow the onset of the disease in mice at risk for the disease. The study, co-funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, provides new and important insights into understanding how to stop the immune attack that causes type 1 diabetes, and could even have implications for other autoimmune diseases.

9 Apr 2010

Adherence to type 1 diabetes treatment lags if parents don't monitor

Teenagers and "tweenagers" with type 1 diabetes have more trouble sticking to their treatment plan - thus raising their risk of blindness, kidney failure and heart disease - if their parents become increasingly lax about monitoring the child's treatment, or if the mother-child relationship is poor.

8 Apr 2010

Blindness News and Research

Latinos have higher rates of developing visual impairment than non-Hispanic whites: Researchers

Roche announces results of phase III T-emerge 3 study of taspoglutide in diabetics

Researchers participate in national multi-center trial comparing treatments for diabetic macular edema

Phase II clinical trial to test safety and efficacy of transplanted encapsulated islets

Patients can reduce frequency of Botox- Cosmetic injections and still receive same benefits: Research

First patient enrolled in Phase II clinical trial of E10030 for treatment of wet age-related AMD

Animal studies demonstrate safety profile of ACT's RPE cell therapy for SMD

Alimera Sciences prices initial common stock public offering at $11.00 per share

State of California adds Distracted Driving as new area for concentrated effort to SHSP

New gene therapy to restore retinal cone function and day vision

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals presents new data on ALN-TTR01 RNAi therapeutic at amyloidosis symposium

Diabetic mice generate new insulin-producing cells following extreme cell destruction

Embryos with two mums to remove the risk of hereditary diseases: new research

Study on primary cilia formation may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies

Spring is busting out all over - and so are eye allergies

Implanting blue light-filtering IOLs during cataract surgery may help preserve retina health

Tufts Medical Center researchers discover new biological pathway for advanced AMD

DHA crucial for male fertility

Nanotechnology-based vaccine cures mice with type 1 diabetes

Adherence to type 1 diabetes treatment lags if parents don't monitor

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