Gene therapy prevents photoreceptor death and preserves retinal function in a Bardet-Biedl syndrome mouse model.

ABSTRACT: Patients with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) experience severe retinal degeneration as a result of impaired photoreceptor transport processes that are not yet fully understood. To date, there is no effective treatment for BBS-associated retinal degeneration, and blindness is imminent by the second decade of life. Here we report the development of an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector that rescues rhodopsin mislocalization, maintains nearly normal-appearing rod outer segments, and prevents photoreceptor death in the Bbs4-null mouse model. Analysis of the electroretinogram a-wave indicates that rescued rod cells are functionally indistinguishable from wild-type rods. These results demonstrate that gene therapy can prevent retinal degeneration in a mammalian BBS model.

SUBMITTER: Simons DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3076852 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature