Researchers have made a breakthrough in the treatment of glaucoma with gene therapy. Glaucoma affects millions of people…

Researchers have made a breakthrough in the treatment of glaucoma with gene therapy. Glaucoma affects millions of people worldwide, leading to blindness due to high intraocular pressure (IOP). While the first-line treatment for glaucoma is eye drops, they don't work for everyone, and many people struggle with high IOP. The new gene therapy approach is incredibly promising, and researchers have used adeno-associated viruses (AAV) to deliver instructions for creating an enzyme called matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3). This enzyme aids the outflow of the aqueous humor, which reduces IOP and helps prevent blindness. Researchers have successfully tested this therapy on mice and human donor eyeballs, with significant findings. This therapy holds great promise in the future, and researchers are hopeful they can develop similar treatments for other blinding eye diseases.