The single-cell green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii may hold the answer to the cure for blindness, according to Wired. These round organisms possess two whip-like tails and one "eye" used to locate sunlight for photosynthesis. Although its "eye" doesn't actually see, it possesses light-sensitive proteins that could be used to restore human sight.
Scientists are looking at the possibility of taking the algal protein channelrhodopsin-2 and transplanting it into the human retina to restore sight. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved human clinical trials to test this theory through the company RetroSense.
RetroSense plans to use a virus to insert channelrhodopsin-2 into the inner retina. This is not the first time that an experiment such as this has been conducted — gene therapy for blindness has been attempted before, according to Time. However, this marks the first time that gene therapy has been conducted using genes from algae instead of humans, animals or mammals.
Channelrhodopsin-2 has shown great results in other areas of science due to its ability to get neurons to respond to light, according to Slash Gear. This unique ability has changed how scientists study mice, rats and other organisms, and is what led to its use in optogenetics and gives it so much potential to help people see again.
