Article Summary 6: Scientists Cure Color Blindness in Monkeys

Scientists Cure Color Blindness in Monkeys. Science Daily [Internet]. 2009 Sept 16 [cited 2009 Sept 17]. Available from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090916133521.htm

Color blindness is the most common genetic disorder in humans. In fact, 3.5 million in the US, 13 million in India, and 16 million in China are affected by this disease, which is caused by a lack of sensitivity in cone cells.

Researchers have discovered a way to cure color blindness in monkeys through gene therapy, proving that they can cure cone disease in a primate very safely.

Their discovery comes after two scientists at the University of Washington spent 10 years training squirrel monkeys to identify the colors they saw on a touch screen. When they traced color patterns on the screen, they were rewarded with grape juice. Simultaneously, researchers at the University of Florida were developing a gene-transfer technique that uses a harmless virus to deliver corrective genes to cone cells.

Together, these two teams of scientists delivered red sensitivity to the retinas of the monkeys. Nothing happened for 20 weeks, and then one day the monkeys woke up and could suddenly see new colors. After a year and a half, the monkeys can now discern 16 different hues of a particular color.

This technology has the potential to impact much more than just color blindness. It holds the promise of vision for millions who suffer from hereditary blindness, age-related degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy.