Adelaide University researchers have carried out the first in-human trial of a new type of treatment for a leading cause of blindness in working age adults, with promising results.

Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition in which the retinal cells responsible for detecting light don’t work properly, resulting in progressive blindness. Current treatment options for later stages of the disease are limited, and there’s no cure. Now, a new approach to treating the disease is providing fresh hope. Working with researchers from the University of Washington, University of Adelaide experts carried out a small pilot trial to see whether a potential therapy based on a molecule could be safely tolerated by humans.

They found that when the small molecule was injected into the eye, it revived some of the damaged retinal cells, making them sensitive to light again. This happened even after the normal light-sensing cells had been lost.