The chemical is called AAQ. The team is working on an improved compound that could eventually help those with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.
In both diseases, the light sensitive cells in the retina die, leaving the eye without functional photoreceptors. AAQ acts by making the remaining, normally “blind” cells in the retina sensitive to light, said lead researcher Richard Kramer, UC Berkeley professor of molecular and cell biology, in the release.
Their research findings appear in the July 26th issue of the journal Neuron.
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