Board index › General Discussion › News and Current Events

Colorblindness cured with gene therapy in 2 monkeys

Page 1 of 1 [ 3 posts ] 

Previous topic | Next topic

Apple_in_my_Eye
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 May 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 4,420
Location: in my brain

19 Sep 2009, 6:57 am

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gene-therapy-cures-colorblindness

Quote:
September 16, 2009 | 0 comments
Loci Color: Gene Therapy Cures Color-Blindness in Adult Monkeys
A treatment that appears safe and effective in treating natural color-blindness in monkeys might just lead to colorizing the world for similarly afflicted people, along with restoring sight to those with other retinal diseases

By Katherine Harmon

Two naturally color-blind squirrel monkeys, Dalton and Sam, can now see their food—and the world—in full color, after a decade of study by a husband and wife research team who treated them with gene therapy.

The findings are the latest to blindside the traditional wisdom that adults cannot acquire vision they never had. It also sheds light on new leads in the quest to understand how color vision evolved in the first place.

article continues...


_________________
Aspie Quiz: 160/43
Alien Quiz: √2/pi


Wombat
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 Oct 2006
Age: 77
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,051

20 Sep 2009, 2:54 am

I believe that we are on the edge of the biggest breakthrough in human history. From now on WE control evolution.

Do you have a genetic disorder? No worries! We can change your DNA with a tailored retro virus. Not only will you be safe from the disease but your children will inherent the changed DNA.

Don't like being black? No worries! We can make you white or the other way around.

Gee, I wish I had the genes of a champion runner or a rocket scientist.

No problem. For a fee I can pay for myself or my children to have those genetic traits.
Oh brave new world indeed.



Apple_in_my_Eye
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 7 May 2008
Gender: Male
Posts: 4,420
Location: in my brain

20 Sep 2009, 3:01 pm

A lot of good and a lot of really creepy possibilities with that technology (as always)...

But yeah, if that technology matures to that level it'll be a social disaster. Human ideas about desirability + modern media + DNA manipulation == too many "Baywatch" genius mutants (who also miss every dx in the DSM, and are therefore probably boring).


_________________
Aspie Quiz: 160/43
Alien Quiz: √2/pi