SCIENTISTS in Florida, USA, are studying gene therapy to cure genetic eye diseases.

Prof. Galileo Encabo, senior biological scientist at the Department of Opthalmology of the University of Florida, said they have conducted successful human clinical trials, but it would take years before the technology can be made available to the public.

From clinical trials, it takes a few years to make it available for public use. We will have to find a pharmaceutical firm willing to produce (the technology), then we have to get approval from the different bureaucrats, Encabo told reporters.

Gene therapy is the introduction of new genes into human cells to treat a disease. It involves replacing, correcting or removing an abnormal gene.

Encabo held a seminar at the University of the Philippines Cebu yesterday. He was a graduate and a former professor of the university.

The two-hour seminar, held at the UP Cebu Union building, was organized by the UP Cebu Central Visayas Studies Center in partnership with the universitys Sciences Cluster.

It aims to inspire students to pursue studies on molecular genetics.

The University of Florida is collaborating with 65 other institutions in its research on gene therapy.

Encabo said the persons who were subjected to the clinical trials improved their vision, with some increasing their visual ability 10,000 times.

The success of the human clinical trials, he said, will attract more private organizations to support the experiments and validate the whole concept of human gene therapy.

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