Opsins for vision restoration

Abstract

Optogenetics is a biological technique that combines the advantageous spatial-temporal resolution of optics and genetic cell targeting to control cellular activity with unprecedented precision. It has found vast applications both in neurosciences and therapy, particularly in view of its application to restore vision in blind patients. Optogenetics requires the ectopic expression of a so-called opsin to render neurons sensitive to light. There are two types of opsins for modulating membrane potential of neurons: (i) microbial opsins from unicellular organisms that respond to a light stimulus by mediating a flow of ions across the membrane (ii) animal opsins that are naturally present in mammalian retinas that initiate G protein coupled signaling in response to light. The former category has been extensively employed for vision restoration in the past decade with two ongoing clinical trials employing microbial opsins to restore light sensation in retinitis pigmentosa patients. The latter subtype of animal opsins is emerging more recently as strong candidates to restore vision with the promise of greater light sensitivity and tolerability. In this review we will discuss each approach in view of its utility for vision restoration in retinal blindness.