Researchers in Oxford say they have carried out the world’s first gene therapy operation to tackle the root cause of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The procedure was carried out at the John Radcliffe Hospital by Professor Robert MacLaren, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, with the support of the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre in a clinical trial sponsored by Gyroscope Therapeutics, a UK-based company developing genetically-defined therapies for the treatment of eye diseases.
Professor MacLaren says: 'AMD is the number one cause of untreatable blindness in the developed world. A genetic treatment administered early on to preserve the vision in patients who would otherwise lose their sight would be a tremendous breakthrough and certainly something I hope to see in the near future.'
The first person to undergo the procedure was Mrs Janet Osborne of Oxford, who has the condition in both eyes, although it is more advanced in her left eye. The 80-year-old says her restricted vision makes household tasks like preparing vegetables and sewing difficult, and she cannot read for very long. Often she finds it hard to recognise faces.
She says her motivation for taking part in the trial was the possibility of helping others with AMD: 'I wasn’t thinking of me. I was thinking of other people. For me, I hope my sight doesn’t get any worse. That would be fantastic. It means I wouldn’t be such a nuisance to my family.'
