--- title: "This Human Gene Editing Trial Will Use CRISPR to Treat Blindness" description: "Up to 18 people will be part of the first ever human study in the U.S. that uses gene editing technique CRISPR inside the body to treat blindness." date: "2019-07-30" modified: "2019-07-30" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor.md" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/human-gene-editing-trial-crispr-treat-blindness" categories: - "Gene Editing" - "Genetics" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "blindness" - "CRISPR" - "gene-editing" - "the digest" --- # This Human Gene Editing Trial Will Use CRISPR to Treat Blindness ![Up to 18 people will be part of the first ever human study in the U.S. that uses gene editing technique CRISPR inside the body to treat blindness.]() *\Image: Shutterstock/Victor Tangermann\* ## CRISPR Drawer Up to 18 people, ages three and up, will be part of the first ever human study in the U.S. that uses the gene-editing technique CRISPR inside the body. The goal is to treat an eye disorder that causes blindness, [according to the *Associated Press*](). In many cases the heritable disorder, Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), eventually causes complete loss of vision. In fact, it's the number one cause of inherited blindness in children. The trial, which will be carried out by pharmaceutical companies [Editas Medicine and Allergan](), will attempt to address a specific variant of LCA called LCA 10. Researchers will use CRISPR to supply a healthy version of a gene that the patients lack through a subretinal injection. ## See the Light But this change will not be passed on to future generations, as the *AP* points out. That makes it different from the highly controversial series of [human embryo trials]() by Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who [used a similar technique]() to edit the germline of future human generations. A different, non-CRISPR gene therapy treatment for LCA already exists, called Luxturna, which involves injecting a modified virus that delivers the corrected gene into the retina's cells. **READ MORE:**[ First CRISPR study inside the body to start in US]() \[*Associated Press*\] **More on CRISPR:** *[Chinese Scientists Say They've Found a Safer Alternative to CRISPR]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [The FDA Approves a New Gene Therapy Treatment for a Rare Form of Blindness]() - [First U.S. Study to Use CRISPR to Fight Cancer “Very Promising”]() - [A World First CRISPR Trial Will Edit Genes Inside the Human Body]() - [An End to Blindness: “Holy Grail” of Gene Editing Partially Restores Vision]() - [Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Recent Human Gene Editing Trial in the US]() - [Mutated Animals Show Why Gene Editing Isn’t Ready for Human Trials]() - [A CRISPR Future: Five Ways Gene Editing Will Transform Our World]() - [The FDA Puts the Brakes on A Major CRISPR Trial in Humans]()