For Treating Blindness, Scientists Look to Algae
What if the key to curing blindness was found in unicellular algae? In a recent study published in the journal Nature, a group of scientists were able to restore light sensitivity to formerly blind mice using a protein extracted from algaes of the genus Chlamydomonas. The Chlamydomonas are of particular interest because they exhibit phototaxis—an ability to orient themselves toward light sources to aid in photosynthesis. Eager to understand what caused this phenomenon on a genetic level, scientists discovered a sequence of genes that stored the blueprints for generating light-sensitive proteins. A group of researchers at the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Switzerland, headed by Dr. Botond Roska, isolated these genes and introduced them into the eyes of blind mice. What they observed was a dramatic behavioral change that proved the mice had regained their sensitivity to light. read more