Possible treatment for X-linked pigmentosa

An article in Science Daily states that gene therapy will soon be used to treat a condition called X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. This genetic defect affects young children who are born with full vision, and by the time they are about 20 years old, they are completely blind. The researchers in the University of Florida have found a way to replace the light-sensitive cells in the eye with genetically altered light receptor cells. “The UF researchers and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania performed the technically challenging task of cloning a working copy of the affected gene into a virus that served as a delivery vehicle to transport it to the appropriate part of the eye. They also cloned a genetic "switch" that would turn on the gene once it was in place, so it could start producing a protein needed for the damaged eye cells to function.” Researchers are nearing the end of trials in animals and soon hope to begin human testing, with the hopes of curing blindness in the near future.