Penn Researchers Pick A Bone With Blindness

A team of Penn researchers helped to cure a form of blindness four years ago and they’re at it again!  The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that this time, the researchers are taking on retinitis pigmentosa, which is a more common type of blindness thought to affect thousands of people.

Along with University of Florida scientists, the Penn researchers have been using gene therapy in dogs to deliver healthy genes to the retina.  Using lasers, lights, rods and cones and bones, the scientists were able to measure a difference in the thickness of the retina.   So far, the results have been successful and in some cases, the experiment has even reversed earlier damage.

The scientists are hoping the positive results will translate to human progress.  As the article astutely states, “animals cannot answer questions,” so while we like to think the dogs are enjoying their enhanced vision, it’s purely conjecture.