image: Soluble CX3CL1 gene therapy preserves cones in the central retina of retinitis pigmentosa mouse models. view more
Credit: Sean K. Wang
A study of the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa, which can cause the death of rod and cone cells and lead to blindness in humans, finds that mice injected with a virus vector carrying a soluble form of the gene CX3CL1 exhibited prolonged cone survival and improved visual acuity, regardless of the underlying mutation causing the disease, a result suggesting that therapy with CX3CL1 may hold promise for preserving retinal cells in degenerative diseases.
Article #19-01787: "Soluble CX3CL1 gene therapy improves cone survival and function in mouse models of retinitis pigmentosa," by Sean K. Wang, Yunlu Xue, Parimal Rana, Christin M. Hong, and Constance L. Cepko.
MEDIA CONTACT: Constance L. Cepko, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; tel: 617-432-7618, 617-697-0643; e-mail: cepko@genetics.med.harvard.edu; Sean K. Wang, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; tel: 323-712-4956; e-mail: Sean_Wang@hms.harvard.edu
###