每日英語跟讀 Ep.K289: Blind man partially regains sight with new ‘gene therapy’
After losing eyesight 40 years ago, a blind man has had his vision partially restored using optogenetic therapy and engineered goggles, according to CNN. The French man suffers from retinitis pigmentosa — an eye disease that changes how the retina responds to light. People with the disease lose their vision gradually over time.
據CNN報導，在失明長達四十年後，一名視障男子藉由「光遺傳學」技術及特製墨鏡，成功修復了部分視力。這名法國男子為「色素性視網膜炎」患者——這種眼疾會改變視網膜對光線的反應，該疾病患者將隨著時間逐漸喪失視力。
Technically, this gene therapy is based on algae proteins that respond to light sources, with researchers reprogramming cells in the retina by injecting genes to make it light sensitive. Several months later, they equipped the patient with engineered goggles that detected changes in light intensity, and he was able to see objects to a degree when wearing the googles.
從技術上來說，這項「基因療法」是以一種取自感光藻類的蛋白質為基礎。研究人員將蛋白質基因注射至視網膜，藉以改編細胞基因使細胞具有感光性。而幾個月之後，他們讓患者戴上可偵測光線強度的輔助墨鏡，藉由這副墨鏡，患者在某種程度上竟可隱約看到物體。
“This is a significant milestone and undoubtedly further refinements will make optogenetic therapy a viable option for many patients in future,” said Robert MacLaren, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oxford. The breakthrough study, titled “Partial recovery of visual function in a blind patient after optogenetic therapy,” was published in Nature Medicine journal earlier this year.
「這是一項重大里程碑！」牛津大學的眼科教授羅柏麥克拉倫說，「若再經過進一步改良，無疑將使光遺傳學療法成為更多患者未來可行的選項。」這篇突破性研究名為《視障患者藉由光遺傳學療法恢復部分視覺功能》，今年稍早發表於《自然醫學》期刊。Source article: https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2021/12/22/2003769967