A common form of blindness has been successfully treated in dogs using gene therapy. The technique, which replaces a faulty gene with a functional one, could be used to restore sight to thousands of people affected by the disease.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic disease affecting the cells at the back of the eye that detect light, called rods and cones. The vision of those affected gets progressively worse, causing tunnel vision, until it is completely lost, usually between their 50s and 60s. There is currently no cure. But in the latest research, the vision of four dogs was restored using the new gene therapy, raising hopes of a human treatment.

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• Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1118847109
• Publication date: 23 Jan 12

Scientists have developed nanoparticles that boost the effectiveness of vaccines in mice by mimicking part of the natural immune response. The new technology could improve existing vaccines and also be used in future medicines to protect people against a range of infections.

The technique is based on previous research that found that specialised cells in the skin, called mast cells, release ‘granules’ when they come into contact with bacteria or viruses. These small particles contain chemical signals and travel to lymph nodes where they help activate the immune response against the infection.

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• Journal: Nature Materials
• DOI: 10.1038/nmat3222
• Publication date: 22 Jan 12

Continuing our video series on the patient benefits of animal research, a patient interviews a scientist on how stem cells, based on animal research, may be used to repair hearts. Professor Michael Schneider of Imperial College tells Alan Keys about stem cell research and how it may lead to treatments for heart disease. Michael describes how the availability of stem cells allows his team to determine the molecules involved in heart cell death and also how to protect those cells from death during a heart attack.

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On the principal that you can’t really understand something until you have tried it yourself, the education team have been encouraging young people up and down the country to try their hands at taking blood samples from the tail veins of a pair of laboratory rats.

Not real rats of course, but the rubber training kind that can help young people understand how much skill and patience is needed for efficient blood sampling without causing any undue distress (to the rats at least).

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