Researchers at Harvard University have identified a nearly full set of genes that enable sight.
This research opens the door to early diagnosis and treatment of degenerative eye diseases.
The photoreceptor genes were discovered in tests done on the retinal cells of mice by a team led by Harvard genetics professor Connie Cepko, according to today's issue of Cellmagazine.
The medical researchers identified some 300 specific genes within the cells - five times the number previously recorded. A total of 241 of the genes are found in humans.
The discovery of this set of genes should allow physicians to identify those cells with mutations, which cause a series of degenerative diseases that can lead to blindness, such as retinitis pigmentosa.
"We've cut down the search for disease genes by 100-fold," said Cepko. An estimated one in 2,000 are at risk for inherited retinal disease and could be screened for the mutated genes.
"The more we know about how the genes work, the better we will be able to find ways to treat, and possibly, prevent disease," Cepko said in a statement.
AFP