For the first time in history, at least since Jesus walked in Nazareth, scientists have restored vision to the blind.   

In partnership with ProtoKinetix, researchers at the University of British Columbia in Canada have successfully restored vision to genetically blind rats.   This extraordinary achievement was made possible by a revolutionary "Miracle Molecule" called PKX-001, developed by the US biotechnology company ProtoKinetix.  

PKX-001 is a small peptide which has unique and almost science-fiction like effects.  If the PKX-001 molecule touches any kind of cell, that cell undergoes a miraculous change and becomes "supercharged".  The cell will live many times longer.   The cell will be much healthier.  Incredibly, the cell will be able to resist all kinds of hostile influences such as heat, cold, acid -- even sterilizing ultraviolet radiation. 

The scientists at ProtoKinetix have been working on the PKX-001 Miracle Molecule for almost twenty years.  Finally, the molecule is ready for prime time.  Indeed, the molecule is right now in human trials to cure diabetes, but that's another story...

So, how was PKX-001 used to restore vision?  Well, for many years, scientists have known that, at least in theory, we could cure blindness by transplanting special stem cells into the retina of the patient's blind eye.  In theory, the stem cells would develop into fully functioning retinal cells and the patient would be able to see again.  In practice, however, the transplanted stem cells get sick and die and the eye remains blind.   Pharmaceutical companies around the world are working on this approach but so far they have had no success precisely because of this problem.

Dr. Gregory-Evans and his team at the University of British Columbia realized that a new approach was needed.   He had heard from ProtoKinetix about some great results they were getting with diabetes, and he wondered if the molecule might work to keep stem cells alive long enough to develop into properly functioning retinal cells.   He decided to start testing PKX-001 in his laboratory.  For over four years he conducted numerous tests and the results were very good.  

Finally, he had the data and the confidence to launch a full-scale experiment to see whether he could restore vision in genetically blind rats by transplanting stem cells that were treated with PKX-001.   He divided the blind rats into two groups.  The control group got untreated cells and the test group got cells treated with PKX-001.   The control group did not do well.  Within days, all the transplanted stem cells were dead and the animals remained blind.   The test group, on the other hand, did much better.   The transplanted stem cells all lived and were very healthy and vigorous.   Over the next few months, the stem cells slowly developed into retinal cells, such as rods and cones.   These new retinal cells then connected with the optic nerve and began to function.   In other words, for the first time in their lives, the rats could see.  History was made.

In principle, this simple procedure will also work for humans who have become blind through such diseases as Age Related Macular Degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and Stargart's disease.  This would restore sight to tens of millions of people around the world.

For more information, please contact Grant Young at grantyoung@shaw.ca