In these conditions, visual function may be regained when the gene defect is corrected. Systemic immunosuppression, such as cyclosporine, the most potent immunosuppressant drug, has been used to try to prevent rejection but this has been a difficult experience for older patients because of the toxic side effects. We are trying to develop techniques that prevent rejection inside the eye without flooding the whole body with cylosporine. They have no generalized toxicity. There is a dire need for transplant tissue.
Many people die waiting for a needed organ or bone marrow transplant.
If you have not already done so, consider signing the donor card that accompanies your driver s license. Photoreceptor transplants promise the most but they are still in their infancy. Connecting transplanted photoreceptors to nerve cells in a blind retina is one of the most challenging problems in biology and one of the most fascinating. It s going to take a monumental effort to succeed in this. It is nevertheless worth pursuing because not only is it rational but the retina is the best place to try.