Lentivirus-mediated gene transfer to the eye [ 2006 - 2008 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: E/Pr Keryn Williams (Principal investigator) ,  A/Pr Donald Anson ,  Dr Helen Brereton ,  E/Pr Douglas Coster

Brief description Blindness exerts major physical, emotional and economic constraints and hardship upon the sufferer. Transplant surgery can restore vision to many people who are visually impaired as a result of disease affecting the front of the eye. The transplant itself is taken from the eye of a person who has died, after consent from the donor's family. Our goal is to improve the outcome for patients who require transplants of tissue to the front of the eye, in order to restore their vision or to relieve pain. Our work is predicated on the finding that unwanted immune responses are the major cause of graft failure in such patients. The recipient recognizes the grafted tissue as being foreign, and rejects it. Treatment with conventional systemic drugs appears to hold little promise for further improvements in outcome, but gene therapy applied to the donor tissue may provide a safe and effective way of reducing transplant failure. Gene therapy can be undertaken on the donor tissue in the laboratory, prior to transplantation surgery. In this project, we will assess the suitability of a new method of modifying the transplant. All of the work will be performed on the laboratory bench, or in experimental animals.

Funding Amount $AUD 519,295.54

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant