A promising treatment aimed at preserving cones, the retinal cells that provide central and daytime vision, is poised to move into a Phase I clinical trial within the next year. Known as rod-derived cone viability factor (RdCVF), the therapeutic protein has consistently preserved vision in several preclinical studies.

An international research team, funded in part by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, has used gene therapy to reactivate retinal cells that were previously unresponsive to light. The treatment was delivered to cones, the retinal cells that provide central and daytime vision. Investigators evaluated the gene therapy in two mouse models of retinal degenerative disease, as well as cultures of human retinal tissue. Using a variety of tests, the researchers demonstrated that the treated cells restored functional vision, and that the restoration of vision persisted over a long period of time.