{"id":3335,"date":"2022-09-01T07:11:53","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T07:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=3335"},"modified":"2022-09-01T07:11:55","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T07:11:55","slug":"protein-implant-could-cure-blindness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=3335","title":{"rendered":"Protein Implant Could Cure Blindness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Simona Kitanovska<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A protein implant could cure blindness, according to a new study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers found no one who had the operation was still blind two years later and three people who were blind ended up with 20:20 vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings were published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The implant, made out of collagen protein from a pig\u2019s skin, resembles the human cornea \u2013 the outermost transparent layer of the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Damaged or diseased corneas cause blindness in more than 12 million people around the world but their vision can only be restored by a human cornea transplant from a donor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just one in 70 people who need a cornea transplant can get one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transplant can be mass produced and stored for two years while donated human ones have to be used within two weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will help particularly help people in poorer countries where human cornea transplants are especially rare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the study, a team from Sweden recruited 14 blind people and six partially sighted people in India and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants suffered from the disease keratoconus, where the cornea becomes so thin it can lead to blindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They found none of the 14 participants who had been blind before they had the operation were blind anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three of the Indian participants who had been blind ended up with perfect vision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one reported any complications during the operation or a two-year follow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just an eight-week course of eye drops was enough to stop the implant from being rejected by the eye and the tissue healed quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With conventional cornea transplants, medicine must be taken for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main purpose of the study was to work out whether the implant was safe to use and the team were stunned to discover it was so effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make it, the team used collagen molecules derived from pig skin that were highly purified and produced under strict conditions for human use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pig skin used is not used when pigs are used for meat, making it easy to access and economically advantageous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When they constructed the implant, the researchers stabilized the loose collagen molecules to make a robust and transparent material that could withstand handling and implantation in the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A larger clinical trial must take place before it can be shown to be safe and effective enough to roll out in hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Neil Lagali from Link\u00f6ping University said: \u201cThe results show that it is possible to develop a biomaterial that meets all the criteria for being used as human implants, which can be mass-produced and stored up to two years and thereby reach even more people with vision problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis gets us around the problem of shortage of donated corneal tissue and access to other treatments for eye diseases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Mehrdad Rafat from company LinkoCare Life Sciences AB, who designed and developed the implant said: \u201cSafety and effectiveness of the bioengineered implants have been the core of our work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve made significant efforts to ensure that our invention will be widely available and affordable by all and not just by the wealthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why this technology can be used in all parts of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team has also developed a new, minimally invasive method for treating keratoconus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, a keratoconus patient\u2019s cornea at an advanced stage is surgically removed and replaced by a donated cornea, which is sewn into place using stitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of surgery is invasive and only done at larger hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stitches are not needed with this new surgical method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incision in the cornea can be made accurately due to an advanced laser, but also, when needed, by hand with simple surgical instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The method was first tested on pigs and turned out to be simpler and potentially safer than a conventional cornea transplant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Lagali said: \u201cA less invasive method could be used in more hospitals, thereby helping more people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith our method, the surgeon doesn\u2019t need to remove the patient\u2019s own tissue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstead, a small incision is made, through which the implant is inserted into the existing cornea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors also want to study whether the technology can be used to treat more eye diseases and whether the implant can be adapted to individuals for even greater efficacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Produced in association with\u00a0SWNS<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Published without changes from Zenger News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Simona Kitanovska A protein implant could cure blindness, according to a new study. Researchers found no one<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3336,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[66,124,126,125,127,122],"class_list":["post-3335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-african-american","tag-eye-treatment","tag-eyesight","tag-health","tag-implant","tag-technology"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t