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Male squirrel monkeys have only two out of the three color pigments that people have. Members of a lab at the University of Washington introduced the gene for the missing red pigment into the cone cells of two monkeys' retinas. After a few months, these two monkeys, Dalton and Sam, were able to see red hues. This was determined by the performance on a color-vision test. The red gene was carried on a standard virus used for gene therapy experiments, and injected into the eye. It donated the red color gene to the affected cones which were producing green. Not all of the cones were affected by the virus, therefore both red and green cones were at work, along with their unaffected blue cones.
Colorblindness affects many animals, including humans. This experiment has previously been successfully accomplished in mice. Completing it with monkeys, however will help scientists better understand how the primate brain works and analyzes color. This is a big step toward understanding colorblindness in other animals, and eventually, humans. This experiment may one day be used on humans, so that every person will be able to see and differentiate between all of the colors. While colorblindness is not a life threatening condition, it is definitely something that affects how people function in every day life. A treatment for it would be very beneficial.
Interesting how genetics in future could help in treating colourblindness. i think in future geneticist will find a way to alter genes so certain disorders are not passed on to the offsprings too.
ReplyDeleteI think this article is quiet interesting because now scientists can find not only the genes that cause color blindness, but the medication that can supress it as well. This study can benefit the treatment of color blindness in many ways. It can help scientist understand how color blindness works in the human brain and what pigments should be injected to prevent such a scenario. It looks like the cure for color blindness is just around the corner.
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