Single shot gene therapy could benefit wet AMD patients

Researchers at the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, Western Australia have created a new gene therapy that could potentially replace invasive monthly injections, which are the current method of treating the wet form of macular degeneration. A single injection carries a benign, modified virus which has a gene that creates a supply of a protein that blocks the over-production of VEGF. Too much VEGF is responsible for the formation of extra blood vessels within the eye. Further testing will be conducted by the U.S. based company Avalanche Biotechnologies which now has licensed the rights to the therapy. Researchers are pleased with testing thus far with the safety and efficacy of the therapy being extremely promising.*