Friday, 25 May, 2012

One hurdle to treating neurodegenerative diseases is the inability of neurons in the central nervous system to regenerate axons after damage. In glaucoma, retinal ganglion cell (RGC) axons, which make up the optic nerve and serve as cables to pass information from our eyes to our brains, are damaged and thus unable to regenerate. Shown [...]

Lenses cannot project a perfect image on the flat back of a camera, so images are distorted at the edges. A revolutionary camera solves this problem by curving the light detector.

After decades of effort, gene replacement brings eyesight to the blind. How did it work? What does animal research say about gene therapy for curing cancer, reducing pain or reversing muscular dystrophy? Why has gene therapy taken so long?

A lot better than we do, says Paul Miller, clinical professor of comparative ophthalmology at University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Dogs have evolved to see well in both bright and dim light, whereas humans do best in bright light. No one is quite sure how much better a dog sees in dim light, but I would suspect [...]

Doctors are learning to persuade the body to grow its own spare parts. Is there hope for the retina, heart or pancreas?

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) destroys the light receptors used for reading and recognizing faces. Can a diet low in fat or high in antioxidants slow the disease?