Blindness News and Research

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Researchers reconstruct ancient virus to improve gene therapy

Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute have reconstructed an ancient virus that is highly effective at delivering gene therapies to the liver, muscle, and retina. This discovery, published July 30 in Cell Reports, could potentially be used to design gene therapies that are not only safer and more potent than therapies currently available, but may also help a greater number of patients.

31 Jul 2015

New method identifies preferred retinal locations in both eyes of patients with central vision loss

Eyes with central vision loss adapt by developing a new fixation point in a different part of the retina, called the preferred retinal location (PRL). Now for the first time, a new method makes it possible to identify PRLs in both eyes simultaneously, reports a study in the August issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry.

29 Jul 2015

Biomedical breakthrough reveals never-before-seen details of the body's cellular switchboard

A biomedical breakthrough, published today in the journal Nature, reveals never-before-seen details of the human body's cellular switchboard that regulates sensory and hormonal responses. The work is based on an X-ray laser experiment at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

23 Jul 2015

Research suggests that only one in three older Americans have diabetes under control

Only one in three older Americans have their diabetes under control as measured by guidelines set by the American Diabetes Association, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

22 Jul 2015

MU researcher receives $2.2 million grant to develop system to display clear blood pressure information

Physicians receive lots of information about patients in a short amount of time, and sometimes that information is scattered, disorganized or difficult to comprehend. Now, a researcher at the University of Missouri School of Medicine has received funding to develop a simpler and clearer system to display blood pressure information.

21 Jul 2015

Gene therapy used for sight restoration also strengthens visual pathways in the brain

Since 2007, clinical trials using gene therapy have resulted in often-dramatic sight restoration for dozens of children and adults who were otherwise doomed to blindness. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, have found evidence that this sight restoration leads to strengthening of visual pathways in the brain, published this week in Science Translational Medicine.

16 Jul 2015

Gene therapy provides life-long protection to photoreceptor cells in animal model of retinitis pigmentosa

A collaboration between scientists in the UK and the USA has shown that gene therapy can give life-long protection to the light-sensitive photoreceptor cells responsible for colour vision in a mouse model of the most common inherited eye disorder.

15 Jul 2015

Up-to-date treatment and diagnostic guidelines for diabetic retinal degeneration

Around 600,000 Austrians suffer from diabetes. This condition is frequently associated with serious retinal disorders. Along with age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinal degeneration is one of the most common causes of blindness. The Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry at MedUni Vienna was chosen by the European Society of Retina Specialists (EURETINA) to coordinate the development of up-to-date treatment and diagnostic guidelines.

9 Jul 2015

Simple blood test could detect early stages of type 1 diabetes

Scientists at the MRC's Clinical Sciences Centre in West London are the first to show that a small molecule circulates in the blood of people who are in the early stages of type 1 diabetes. A simple blood test could detect this biological marker years, maybe decades, before symptoms develop.

9 Jul 2015

WSU researcher secures $1.25 million NIH grant to study role of rosiglitazone drug in reversing preeclampsia

Sascha Drewlo, Ph.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, has secured a $1.25 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to study the role of approved drugs to improve placental function.

8 Jul 2015

UT Arlington, UNTHSC scientists to build prototype for implantable shunt flow monitoring system

Scientists from The University of Texas at Arlington and the University of North Texas Health Science Center are building a prototype for an implantable in-line shunt flow monitoring system that would deliver both on-demand and continuous readings of hydrocephalus.

8 Jul 2015

New NEI study shows that microglia can accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders

Spider-like cells inside the brain, spinal cord and eye hunt for invaders, capturing and then devouring them. These cells, called microglia, often play a beneficial role by helping to clear trash and protect the central nervous system against infection. But a new study by researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) shows that they also accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders, such as retinitis pigmentosa.

2 Jul 2015

Implantable microfluid system can efficiently stabilize intraocular pressure

Elevated or diminished eye pressure impairs our ability to see, and in the worst cases, can even lead to blindness. Until now, there has been no effective long-term treatment. In response, Fraunhofer researchers are developing an implantable microfluid system that can efficiently and durably stabilize intraocular pressure.

1 Jul 2015

Practice caution with Fourth of July fireworks, urge Vanderbilt doctors

Fireworks and the Fourth of July can be a dangerous mix. Doctors at Vanderbilt University Medical Center urge caution with consumer fireworks and suggest leaving these displays to the experts.

1 Jul 2015

WHO/UNICEF: Lack of progress on water and sanitation threatens to undermine child survival, health benefits

Lack of progress on sanitation threatens to undermine the child survival and health benefits from gains in access to safe drinking water, warn WHO and UNICEF in a report tracking access to drinking water and sanitation against the Millennium Development Goals.

1 Jul 2015

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for choroideremia now underway at Royal Alexandra Hospital

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for eyes -- the replacement of a faulty gene with a healthy one -- is now underway at the Royal Alexandra Hospital to preserve and potentially restore vision for people with a genetic disorder that leaves them blind by middle age.

30 Jun 2015

UAB optometrist offers tips to keep eyes healthy during summer months

While the warm summer months are perfect for spending time outside, several environmental factors can spell trouble for eyesight. One University of Alabama at Birmingham optometrist says knowledge of what to do, and what not to do, will keep eyes healthy.

26 Jun 2015

Researchers develop protective vaccine against chlamydia infections

Chlamydiae are the most common, sexually transmitted, bacterial pathogens in the world. Every year around 100 million people contract Chlamydia infections, which are one of the main causes of female infertility and ectopic pregnancies and can also lead to blindness - especially in developing countries.

25 Jun 2015

Researchers advance stem cell therapy to block vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have taken a significant step forward in their efforts to use stem cells to block vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy, a condition that affects millions of people with diabetes.

25 Jun 2015

Innovative formula prevents risks, painful treatments in people with secondary blindness

The Mexican company "Medical and Surgical Center for Retina" created a way to transport drugs, in order to avoid risks and painful treatments in people with secondary blindness due to chronic degenerative blindness such as diabetic retinopathy and degeneration of the eye.

25 Jun 2015

Blindness News and Research

Researchers reconstruct ancient virus to improve gene therapy

New method identifies preferred retinal locations in both eyes of patients with central vision loss

Biomedical breakthrough reveals never-before-seen details of the body's cellular switchboard

Research suggests that only one in three older Americans have diabetes under control

MU researcher receives $2.2 million grant to develop system to display clear blood pressure information

Gene therapy used for sight restoration also strengthens visual pathways in the brain

Gene therapy provides life-long protection to photoreceptor cells in animal model of retinitis pigmentosa

Up-to-date treatment and diagnostic guidelines for diabetic retinal degeneration

Simple blood test could detect early stages of type 1 diabetes

WSU researcher secures $1.25 million NIH grant to study role of rosiglitazone drug in reversing preeclampsia

UT Arlington, UNTHSC scientists to build prototype for implantable shunt flow monitoring system

New NEI study shows that microglia can accelerate damage wrought by blinding eye disorders

Implantable microfluid system can efficiently stabilize intraocular pressure

Practice caution with Fourth of July fireworks, urge Vanderbilt doctors

WHO/UNICEF: Lack of progress on water and sanitation threatens to undermine child survival, health benefits

Canada's first human gene therapy trial for choroideremia now underway at Royal Alexandra Hospital

UAB optometrist offers tips to keep eyes healthy during summer months

Researchers develop protective vaccine against chlamydia infections

Researchers advance stem cell therapy to block vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy

Innovative formula prevents risks, painful treatments in people with secondary blindness

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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