health
‘Oscar of science’ awarded to team behind gene therapy that restores lost vision
Married couple Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire developed Luxturna, which helped a patient see their child’s face for the first time
TL;DR
- Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire, a married couple, were awarded the $3m Breakthrough prize for life sciences for their gene therapy for blindness.
- The therapy, Luxturna, treats Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) by correcting a faulty RPE65 gene.
- Patients treated with Luxturna reported profound improvements in vision, with one seeing their child's face for the first time.
- Bennett expressed concern about political attacks on science in the US, fearing a 'brain drain'.
- Other life sciences prizes were awarded for gene therapies for sickle cell anaemia and beta thalassaemia, and research into frontotemporal dementia and ALS.
- Prizes were also given for work in nonlinear evolution equations (mathematics), nuclear force (physics), and muon measurement (physics).