UC Davis Receives $3.6 Million Grant to Develop New Gene Therapy for Vision Loss

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, are exploring a new way to treat vision loss using gene therapy, thanks to a $3.6 million grant from the National Eye Institute. The innovative approach aims to make gene therapy safer and more effective for patients with serious eye diseases like macular degeneration and inherited blindness. By injecting gene therapy into the suprachoroidal space, the researchers hope to create a less invasive treatment that can be administered in clinics, expanding access to patients worldwide.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology has received a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Eye Institute to explore a new way to treat vision loss using gene therapy.
  • The research team includes experts from UC Davis, Caltech, University of Washington, and Stevens Institute of Technology, covering eye surgery, drug delivery, immunology, and gene therapy.
  • The new route to delivering gene therapy involves injecting the gene therapy into the suprachoroidal space, a potentially less invasive method that still needs improvement.
  • The researchers will study this treatment method on non-human primates like rhesus monkeys, which have eyes similar to humans, and design new versions of the virus to cross barriers in the eye and reach deeper layers.
  • The team aims to expand access to gene therapy and develop office-based treatments that are less invasive and more widely available to patients.
  • The UC Davis Eye Center provides world-class eye care, pioneers collaborative vision research, and trains the next generation of specialists and investigators.
  • The research has the potential to lead to safer and more effective treatments for people with serious eye diseases like macular degeneration and inherited blindness.

Statistics:

  • $3.6 million: The amount of the five-year grant received by the UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology from the National Eye Institute.
  • 5 years: The duration of the grant.
  • 3 options: The existing methods of delivering gene therapy into the eye: injecting into the vitreous or under the retina, both with drawbacks.
  • 1: The number of new methods being explored by the research team.
  • 1 way: The new route to delivering gene therapy, injecting into the suprachoroidal space.
  • 1 goal: The team's aim to develop office-based treatments that are less invasive and more widely available to patients.

Sources:

  • UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology
  • National Eye Institute
  • UC Davis Eye Center
  • Caltech
  • University of Washington
  • Stevens Institute of Technology