Genetic therapy restores sight to 2 children

Naples, December 16 - Two children aged eight and nine have regained their sight thanks to an innovative genetic therapy used for the first time in Italy by the eye clinic of the "Luigi Vanvitelli" University in Naples. The children had impaired vision because they suffered from retinal dystrophy, a condition that causes the light-sensitive cells that make up the retina to fade and die. It is caused by the mutation of the RP65 gene. The new therapy, which was performed in collaboration with Novartis, provides a functional copy of the gene and thus restores the patient's vision.