Retinitis Pigmentosa News and Research

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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the name given to a group of inherited eye diseases that affect the retina (the light-sensitive part of the eye). RP causes the breakdown of photoreceptor cells (cells in the retina that detect light). Photoreceptor cells capture and process light helping us to see. As these cells breakdown and die, patients experience progressive vision loss. The most common feature of all forms of RP is a gradual breakdown of rods (retinal cells that detect dim light) and cones (retinal cells that detect light and color). Most forms of RP first cause the breakdown of rod cells. These forms of RP, sometimes called rod-cone dystrophy, usually begin with night blindness. Night blindness is somewhat like the experience normally sighted individuals encounter when entering a dark movie theatre on a bright, sunny day. However, patients with RP cannot adjust well to dark and dimly lit environments.

Researchers receive NIH award to investigate regenerative potential of retinal cells

Zhang and co-principal investigators Sheng Ding, PhD, from The Scripps Research Institute, and Thomas Reh, PhD from the University of Washington, received the highest possible scores for their proposal to investigate the regenerative potential of retinal cells. Their long-term goal is to restore visual function lost through diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.

30 Sep 2010

Retina Implant AG presents clinical data of successful subretinal electronic implants

Retina Implant AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants for the visually impaired, today announced the presentation of findings obtained during their first human clinical trial in the form of two oral presentations at The Eye and the Chip 2010 Annual Meeting in Detroit, Mich.

16 Sep 2010

ACT receives patent for RPE cells to treat retinal degeneration

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that it will be issued U.S. Patent Numbers 7,795,025 and 7,794,704 on Tuesday, September 14th, which continue to extend the company's patent portfolio covering its retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell programs.

15 Sep 2010

UB symposium to discuss in silico molecular design, high-throughput screening to treat diseases

Twenty-first-century pharmaceutical breakthroughs require 21st-century drug discovery tools, such as computational or in silico molecular design and high-throughput screening of effective, new compounds. That's the theme of a University at Buffalo symposium to be held Sept. 11 on "Twenty-first Century Bioscience: In Silico Methods and High-Throughput Screening," which will feature a variety of cutting-edge advances in the field developed by researchers in Western New York and throughout the US.

3 Sep 2010

ISCO to formalize eye care based stem cell therapeutic programs into Cytovis business unit

International Stem Cell Corporation, today announced that its stem cell therapeutic programs focused on protective, transparent corneas (CytoCor™) in the front of the eye and the light-sensitive retinal tissue (CytoRet™) in the back of the eye will be formalized into a new business unit, Cytovis™.

20 Aug 2010

Non-viral gene therapy delays onset of eye disease

In one of only two studies of its kind, a study from researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts demonstrates that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily retained more eyesight than controls.

17 Aug 2010

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals second-quarter 2010 total revenue declines to $13.8 million

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported its consolidated financial results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

7 Aug 2010

Neurobiologists discover potential cure for degenerative vision diseases

Neurobiologists funded by the Office of Naval Research have discovered a potential cure for degenerative vision diseases leading to terminal blindness.

5 Aug 2010

Valproic acid halts vision loss in patients with retinitis pigmentosa

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School believe they may have found a new treatment for retinitis pigmentosa, a severe neurodegenerative disease of the retina that ultimately results in blindness. One of the more common retinal degenerative diseases, RP is caused by the death of photoreceptor cells and affects 1 in 4,000 people in the United States. RP typically manifests in young adulthood as night blindness or a loss of peripheral vision and in many cases progresses to legal blindness by age 40.

22 Jul 2010

University of Louisville ophthalmology professor receives $60,000 RPB Special Scholar Award

Qingxian Lu, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, has received the $60,000 William and Mary Greve Special Scholar Award from the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) organization. The funds will go toward Lu's research in retinitis pigmentosa, a group of genetic disorders that can lead to night blindness, loss of peripheral vision and total blindness.

15 Jul 2010

Japanese scientists identify long-elusive enzyme necessary for proper regulation of cilia

It's safe to say that cilia, the hairlike appendages jutting out from the smooth surfaces of most mammalian cells, have long been misunderstood - underestimated, even.

8 Jul 2010

International Stem Cell congratulates ACT on the issuance of its recent patent

International Stem Cell Corporation, www.intlstemcell.com, a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products, congratulates Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. on the issuance of its recent patent, U.S. Patent Number 7,736,896, covering a method for producing retinal pigment epithelial cells.

24 Jun 2010

Researchers find new way to prevent blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa

Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a radical new type of gene therapy to prevent blindness caused by retinitis pigmentosa, giving hope to the estimated 100,000 Americans who suffer from this debilitating disease.

14 Jun 2010

Research on genetic mutations could lead to accurate diagnosis of USH, says scientist

Usher syndrome, an inherited condition involving both hearing and vision loss, is not a simply recessively inherited disease, a scientist will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today (Saturday). Dr. Hanno Bolz, Associate Medical Director of the Bioscientia Centre for Human Genetics, Ingelheim, Germany, and active in teaching and research at the University Hospital of Cologne, will say that his team's research challenges the traditional view that USH was inherited as a single gene disorder, and shows that it may result from at least two different genetic mutations.

14 Jun 2010

RTU announces phase 2 clinical trial results of UF-021 in patients with retinitis pigmentosa

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its partner, R-Tech Ueno, Ltd. reported the results of its recently completed phase 2 clinical trial of UF-021 in retinitis pigmentosa patients. The results showed improvement in visual function dose-dependently in both visual field test and subjective findings.

5 Jun 2010

R-Tech Ueno announces completion of Phase II clinical study of UF-021 for retinitis pigmentosa

We are pleased to announce that the Phase II clinical study of UF-021, product name Ocuseva, which we are developing as a therapeutic drug for retinitis pigmentosa, has been completed.

4 Jun 2010

UCI scientists create eight-layer, early-stage retina from human embryonic stem cells

UC Irvine scientists have created an eight-layer, early-stage retina from human embryonic stem cells, the first three-dimensional tissue structure to be made from stem cells.

27 May 2010

New study holds promise for patients with LCA

A new study led by Dr. Robert Koenekoop at the Montreal Children's Hospital at the McGill University Health Centre holds promise for certain patients with Leber congenital amaurosis, an inherited retinal degenerative disease that causes significant vision loss from birth. The study, sponsored by Canadian company QLT Inc., is designed to treat patients with LCA due to genetic mutations in either retinal pigment epithelium protein 65 or lecithin:retinol acyltransferase.

27 May 2010

First clinical trial results of camera chip implanted under retina presented at 2010 ARVO meeting

Retina Implant, AG, a leading developer of subretinal implants for the visually impaired, today announced the presentation of findings from their first clinical trial in which blind patients were able to view and focus on objects as their eye and head naturally moved as opposed to needing to constantly move their head to scan a scene, which is the case for other implants in which a camera is mounted to the patient's head.

7 May 2010

Schepens Eye Research Institute scientist selected for Otto Schade Prize

Dr. Eli Peli, a senior scientist at Schepens Eye Research Institute, has been selected by the Society for Information Display for the Otto Schade Prize. Peli will receive the award at a special presentation at the Society's Awards Banquet on May 24, 2010 in Seattle.

4 May 2010