Vision Restoration Becomes Druggable

Vision Restoration Becomes Druggable

In this issue of Neuron, Tochitsky et al. (2016) have identified the mechanism by which small-molecule photoswitches enter and specifically activate retinal OFF-ganglion cells in degenerated retinas. This drug development is a tremendous step toward the treatment of blindness, regardless of the underlying mutation.

Photochemical approaches to vision restoration

Photoswitches are traditional pharmacologic agonists, antagonists, or channel blockers that are covalently modified with an azobenzene derivative. Azobenzene undergoes wavelength-dependent isomerization between cis and trans conformation. For some photoswitches, only one of these configurations is biologically active, resulting in light-dependent activation or inhibition of function. Photoswitc...

When the Grid becomes Pervasive: A Vision on Pervasive Grids

Advances in computing and communication technologies are rapidly leading to a revolution in the Grid concept and the realization of a Pervasive Grid that seamlessly integrates pervasive sensing/actuating instruments and devices together with classical high performance systems. The Pervasive Grid is in turn, enabling a new generation of applications that use pervasive and ambient information to ...

Vision restoration therapy: confounded by eye movements.

Indocyanine green-assisted peeling of the internal limiting membrane may cause retinal damage. Am J Ophthalmol 2001;132:431–3. 29 Gandorfer A, Haritoglou C, Gandorfer A, et al. Retinal damage from indocyanine green in experimental macular surgery. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2003;44:316–23. 30 Rezai KA, Farrokh-Siar L, Ernest JT, et al. Indocyanine green induces apoptosis in human retinal pigment...

The Druggable Genome 2005