中国神经再生研究(英文版) ›› 2018, Vol. 13 ›› Issue (5): 805-806.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.232469

• 观点:视神经损伤修复保护与再生 • 上一篇    下一篇

视觉假体,光遗传学,干细胞和基因疗法:平分蛋糕

  

  • 收稿日期:2018-03-19 出版日期:2018-05-15 发布日期:2018-05-15

Visual prostheses, optogenetics, stem cell and gene therapies: splitting the cake

Alejandro Barriga-Rivera1, 2, Gregg J. Suaning2   

  1. 1Division of Neuroscience, University Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain;
    2 Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
  • Received:2018-03-19 Online:2018-05-15 Published:2018-05-15
  • Contact: Alejandro Barriga-Rivera, Ph.D.,alejandro.barriga-rivera@sydney.edu.au.
  • Supported by:

    This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie klodowska-Curie grant agreement No 746526 and from the National Health and Medical Research Council (RG1063046).

摘要:

orcid: 0000-0001-9474-4905 (Alejandro Barriga-Rivera)

Abstract:

The size of the blind population in 2015 was estimated to be approximately 36 million (Bourne et al., 2017). According to the predictions by Bourne and co-workers, the number of the visually impaired is expected to reach nearly 100 million by 2050. Although some of these diseases can be treated, to date, some other eye conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an inherited degenerative condition of the photoreceptors, have no treatment except electrical stimulation of the surviving neurons of the visual system. This therapy, delivered via a visual prosthesis, relies on an electrode array, implanted in close proximity to the target neurons, able to deliver a series of electrical impulses that activate these cells thus eliciting a visual sensation (Lewis et al., 2016). These electrodes can be implanted in the retina (three approaches exist: epiretinal, subretinal and suprachoroidal implants), the optic nerve, the lateral geniculate nucleus or the visual cortex. The medical device industry has spotted the opportunity and several companies have already obtained approval for commercialisation of their devices in the US and the European markets. However, the niche for these technologies may be soon occupied by new promising therapies based on a biological approach.