2023-07-26 17:07:42
Updated Wednesday, July 26, 2023 – 17:07
This is the first time that a treatment of this style is applied to minors, which opens the possibility of curing other types of eye disorders.
Antonio Vento, during a medical check-up in Miami (USA)EFE/Universidad de MiamiInterview “Most cancers will never be cured; the goal is to make them chronic” Health A study shows the safety of the hallucinogenic psilocybin to treat anorexia nervosa
A 14-year-old boy has almost completely recovered his vision thanks to application of the first gene therapy to a minor in it Bascom Palmer Eye Institute de Miami (Florida)considered the best eye hospital in the United States.
Antonio Vento has suffered from a strange disease known as epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica.
It is a rare disorder that only affects half a million people worldwide and that, in the case of Vento, not only affected his skin with the formation of “scar tissue”but also to the eyes, explained Antonio Sabater, the ophthalmic surgeon at Bascom Palmer Eye responsible for the boy’s therapy.
The doctors of the aforementioned hospital, dependent on the Health System of the University of Miami (UM) and Miller School of MedicineThey managed to perform two eye surgeries over time, but after three or four months the scar tissue reproduced again due to the lack of collagen production.
“After the second surgery we decided not to operate again, wait for another option to arise for Antonio”Sabater continued. This opportunity began to materialize when they learned that the topical treatment applied to the skin was working very well.
The Associate Professor of Ophthalmology team immediately contacted Krystal Biotechthe company that develops these advanced gene therapy treatments for topical use, and began complex laboratory tests on the formulation.
In 2022, after obtaining satisfactory results and getting the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Once the use of this treatment was approved for the specific case of Vento, the clinic made the decision to apply the first therapy to the boy from the formulation used on his skin.
Almost complete recovery of vision
The first treatment was applied to his right eye. The experts removed the scar tissues. “The recovery was slow, but at 5 or 6 months his vision began to improve and, at 8 months, his vision was almost perfect,” to the point, Sabater told EFE, which “has regained 95-100% of vision in that eye.”
The results of the solution in the left eye, since it had already undergone two interventions, were not as spectacular, but Vento has recovered 50-60% of his vision so far.
“It’s been a two-year job. Antonio is recovering very well and we are very happy when verifying that he has recovered his sense of sight”, he specified.
Despite the fact that the results are preliminary, Sabater said emotionally in the videoconference that the Vento case “is the first and opens new possibilities in the future for the treatment of this disease and other types of genetic eye conditions that affect the cornea.”
Yuri, Vento’s mother, has said in the videoconference that always had full confidence in the work of Professor Sabaterin the ability of the clinic and its team to restore sight to your child.
“There was a moment, in 2017, when my son could not walk, he lost his balance. And he only recognized us by voice. It has been a true miracle for my son to see the face of his family again and to play,” said Yuri, moved.
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