Patent ID: 8242093

Claim:
A method of rescuing photoreceptors of the eye in situ comprising: a) infecting the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer of the retina with a recombinant expression vector comprising a polynucleotide that operatively encodes a NT4 growth factor and a tissue specific promoter, wherein the vector is administered to the RGC layer by intravitreal delivery into the eye, and wherein the infected cells constitutively express the growth factor, and wherein further outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness throughout the retina is significantly increased by said administration to the intravitreal layer as compared to outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness with subretinal injection of the vector, and wherein further expression is limited to regions directly adjacent to subretinal neovascularization; and b) administering a calcium channel blocker or a second growth factor, wherein the second growth factor is BDNF, GDNF, CNTF, βNGF or neurturin (NTN).