Patent ID: 8460351

Claim:
A method to promote functional recovery and controllably regulate plasma membrane polarization of functional excitable neuronal cells, the method comprising administering into an eye and/or central nervous system of a patient in need thereof a biomolecule effecting gene therapy, administering into an eye and/or central nervous system of the patient a plurality of quantum dots, and applying light of a wavelength to the quantum dots under conditions sufficient to controllably activate the quantum dots by controlling at least one of time of exposure, intensity of exposure, or site of exposure, to controllably regulate the plasma membrane polarization of the functional excitable neuronal cells and to provide gene therapy to the neuronal cells thereby controllably promoting functional recovery of the excitable neuronal cells by (a) enhancing a resultant action potential in the neuronal cells when the wavelength of light applied activates both the biomolecule and the quantum dots, or (b) silencing a resultant action potential in the neuronal cells when the wavelength of light applied does not activate both the biomolecule and the quantum dots.