Dr Joshua Chu-Tan

A new gene therapy being developed at The Australian National University (ANU) will help people at risk of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and could save millions from going blind.

ANU’s John Curtin School of Medical Research scientist Dr Joshua Chu-Tan is developing an eye injection using tiny microRNA molecules that have the potential to stop the progression of the disease and prevent irreversible blindness. “Dry AMD has no cure,” said Dr Chu-Tan. “But when we inject anti-inflammatory microRNA into the eye, we see a decrease in genes responsible for inflammation and cell death, as well as a slowing in the damage progression of the retina. We are not just cutting the weed when it grows, we are trying to pull the weed out by its roots.”