By Carl Zimmer
May 24, 2021
A team of scientists announced Monday that they had partially restored the sight of a blind man by building light-catching proteins in one of his eyes. Their report, which appeared in the journal Nature Medicine, is the first published study to describe the successful use of this treatment.
“Seeing for the first time that it did work — even if only in one patient and in one eye — is exciting,” said Ehud Isacoff, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the study.
The procedure is a far cry from full vision. The volunteer, a 58-year-old man who lives in France, had to wear special goggles that gave him the ghostly perception of objects in a narrow field of view. But the authors of the report say that the trial — the result of 13 years of work — is a proof of concept for more effective treatments to come.
“It’s obviously not the end of the road, but it’s a major milestone,” said Dr. José-Alain Sahel, an ophthalmologist who splits his time between the University of Pittsburgh and the Sorbonne in Paris.
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"Kama ilivyoelezwa na Carl Zimmer, ""Timu ya wanasayansi ilitangaza Jumatatu kwamba walikuwa wameirudisha sehemu ya maono ya mtu kipofu kwa kujenga protini za kukamata mwanga katika jicho lake." Utafiti huo, uliochapishwa katika jarida la Nature Medicine, ni wa kwanza kuelezea jinsi tiba hiyo inavyoweza kufanikiwa. "Kuona kwa mara ya kwanza kwamba ilifanya kazi - hata kama ni kwa mgonjwa mmoja tu na jicho moja - ni ya kusisimua", alisema Ehud Isacoff, mwanasayansi wa neva katika Chuo Kikuu cha California, Berkeley, ambaye hakuhusika katika utafiti huo. Utaratibu huo ni mbali sana na kuona vizuri. Mmoja wa waandamanaji hao alikuwa na umri wa miaka 58 na alikuwa amevaa miwani ya kipekee ambayo ilimfanya awe na uwezo wa kuona vitu katika eneo dogo la macho. "Wanahabari wa jarida hilo wanasema kwamba jaribio hilo, ambalo limetokana na miaka 13 ya kazi, ni ""uthibitisho wa dhana"" kwa matibabu yenye ufanisi zaidi ya kuja." "Ni wazi si mwisho wa barabara, lakini ni hatua muhimu", alisema Daktari José-Alain Sahel, daktari wa macho ambaye anagawanya wakati wake kati ya Chuo Kikuu cha Pittsburgh na Sorbonne huko Paris. Kuendelea kusoma katika The New York Times >> Ili kukaa hadi sasa juu ya matukio ya baadaye na habari, fuata EEF kwenye Facebook, Twitter, na LinkedIn na usajili kwenye blogi yetu ya Sight + Sound. Ili kuunga mkono uvumbuzi wa matibabu ambao unaboresha utunzaji, fanya mchango kwa Eye & Ear Foundation.