Sight Restored In Blind Mouse

Using a protein from green algae, scientists have restored the visual response in blind mice.

The finding could prove useful in research aimed at restoring sight to blind humans.

In many cases, blindness is caused when the light receptor cells—called rods and cones—on the eye's retina degenerate and die. The disease, called retinitis pigmentosa in humans, prevents visual information from being sent along the optic nerve to be processed by the brain's visual cortex.

Researchers used a virus to insert the gene that produces the algae protein into the retinal cells in mice genetically bred to lose rods and cones. The cells were secondary retinal cells that normally don't respond to light.


LiveScience.com

Wow, this is pretty cool, I wonder how long before human augmented versions of this treatment can be tested.

Sorta cool to that part of a plant actually helped restore an important function in an animal.


Comments, Opinions?

[edit on 4/6/2006 by iori_komei]

And when, exactly, did the mouse discover its tail had been cut off by a carving knife? That must have been quite a shock.

We can do some very interesting stuff with mice these days. We can give them extreme regenerative abilities(which can be controlled to be hereditary/non-hereditary), increased longevity(upwards to +60% normal lifespan I believe is the record), producing immunities to certain cancers, temporary reversed the aging process in middle aged mice, etc. I really hope that they figure out how this stuff can be applicable in humans soon. I may need a few new organs in a couple decades.

[edit on 6-4-2006 by sardion2000]

Animal testing is such a cruel thing.
:\

mice can do anything in a lab! there are mice that can breath under water for hours on end, mice can sniff their way to food in a maze, now they can even get their sight back incase they get blind!

Originally posted by mnmcandiez
Animal testing is such a cruel thing.
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The illicit organ trade is crueler... experiments like this will help put that to an end eventually.

Originally posted by mnmcandiez
Animal testing is such a cruel thing.
:\

how about we test it on you first

Originally posted by bigx01

Originally posted by mnmcandiez
Animal testing is such a cruel thing.
:\

how about we test it on you first

oh
no
i
only
had
a
one line response.

there how's that. ttthhhpppttt