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Blind patients were able to recognize their family members for the first time in years after volunteering for a pioneering gene editing experiment.
Michael Kalberer, 43, and Carlene Knight, 54, both suffer from an incurable eye disease that has deprived them of their vision as adults.
Earlier this year, they were among seven patients who allowed scientists to modify their DNA by injecting them with the CRISPR gene-editing tool.
Although their vision has not been fully restored, they are able to see colors, navigate the halls, and make out the silhouettes.
Mr Kalberer, from Long Island, revealed he was able to recognize loved ones on his cousin’s wedding dance floor, which had been impossible for years.
He told National Public Radio, “I could see the DJ’s strobe lights change color and identify them to my cousins dancing with me. It was a very, very fun time of joy.
Ms Knight, of Portland, Oregon, said she could finally see colors clearly for the first time since childhood, which she described as “just amazing.” To celebrate, she dyed her hair her favorite color: green.
The couple signed up to receive the experimental treatment at Oregon Health & Science University in May.
It was the first time that CRISPR – which has shown promise in treating diseases like sickle cell anemia – has been used to alter a person’s genes inside their body.
Michael Kalberer, 43, of Long Island, has revealed he was able to recognize loved ones on the dance floor at his cousin’s wedding, which had been impossible for years.
Carlene Knight, 54, of Portland, Ore., Said she can finally see color for the first time since childhood, which she described as “just amazing.” To celebrate, she dyed her hair her favorite color: green
Kalberer and Knight were both born with a rare genetic eye disease called Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).
People with the condition have rods and cones – cells that sense dim light and bright light, respectively – in the retina that don’t work properly.
Some are born blind while others experience visual loss over time, which was the case with Kalberer and Knight.
It is estimated that stroke affects between one and two babies in 100,000 births, according to the National Organization for Rare Diseases.
Both patients have a version of the disease caused by a defect in the CEP290 gene, which regulates a protein that keeps the eye healthy.
While CRISPR normally involves removing cells from the body, modifying them in the lab, and then injecting them back into patients, this is not possible for conditions like stroke.
This is because retinal cells are too fragile to be removed, modified and reinserted, NPR reported.
In the trial, three tiny incisions were made in Knight’s left eye and Kalberer’s right eye to insert billions of benign viral particles carrying CRISPR technology.
CRISPR then suppressed the genetic mutation in cells that affect rods and cones, which prompted the body to produce properly functioning genes.
Scientists only operated on one eye to begin with, but plan to do the other eye if patients continue to improve.
Not all of the patients in the trial saw results, for reasons as yet unknown.
And among those like Knight and Kalberer, who have taken advantage of it, their vision is still far from perfect.
But the results are so promising that researchers have been given the green light to move on to a larger group of patients.
Kalberer said the ability to distinguish shapes and light, and to see better through his device, restored some normalcy to his life, including the ability to eat out.
Kalberer and Knight (pictured before treatment) were both born with a rare genetic eye disease called Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA)
Kalberer said the ability to distinguish shapes and light, and to see better through his device, restored some normalcy to his life, including the ability to eat out.
Pictured: knight
He added, “It made it a bit easier for me to navigate a plate of food and stab the food.
“If I look at a plate of food and there is a spoon or utensil in it, I can see the edge of the utensil on the outside of the bowl or plate.
“So these changes are very, very important to me.”
To his surprise, he can also now see colors for the first time in years. He noticed it about a month after the procedure when a red car drove by.
Mr. Kalberer got to enjoy the simple pleasures of life, like watching the sun go down with friends.
Ms. Knight also likes her newfound ability to distinguish colors, telling NPR, “I’ve always loved colors.
“Ever since I was a kid, it’s one of those things that I could appreciate with just a small amount of vision.
“But now I realize how much brighter they were when they were kids because I can see them a lot brighter now. It’s just amazing.
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