Gene Therapy for Colorblindness
What if a better genetic understanding of color vision could lead to a cure for color blindness? In 1995, scientists at MCW challenged the prevailing thought that three genes were responsible for color vision and that problems in one or more of these genes caused color blindness. Drs. Jay and Maureen Neitz, currently at the University of Washington School of Medicine, reported evidence in Science in 1995 showing that up to nine genes can produce cone photopigments in the retina that are sensitive to the colors red and green. Their team also found large variations in the number of color vision genes in an individual’s DNA blueprint and in the sequence of these genes.