Ann Arbor-based RetroSense Therapeutics LLC plans to start human trials of a gene-based therapy next year, and if those trials go as animal trials have gone, those blinded by degenerative eye diseases will regain some of their vision. What seemed more like an interesting science experiment four years ago than a real company -- can a light-sensing gene that helps pond scum find sunlight also help the blind see? -- is attracting interest and venture capital as it gears up for human trials. The therapy is based on the photosensitivity of a gene called channelrhodopsin-2. This gene allows blue-green algae to detect where the sun is shining on a pond so they can move in its direction and convert light to energy through photosynthesis. When the gene, which is inside a cultured medium called a vector, is injected into the eye, previously non-photosensitive retinal cells are converted into photosensitive cells, allowing limited vision. RetroSense and its research partners have tested mice, rats and nonhuman primates, with all species showing a return of some vision following treatment, said founder and CEO Sean Ainsworth. As a result, the company has just completed raising a venture capital round of $2.4 million, led by … Continue reading →