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Scientists in Spain celebrate their second major breakthrough within a short period of time after successfully restoring vision to a blind patient whose eye injury had previously been considered incurable.
Miguel Terol lost his sight in 2018 after a severed nerve caused it to be cut. A team of researchers at the Miguel Hernandez University, led by Eduardo Fernandez a leading neuroscientist, has used a new brain implant to help him regain some partial vision.
The implanted 100 microneedles stimulated the visual cortex directly in the brain using electrical signals that corresponded to shapes and lights.
The patient’s vision returned unexpectedly. He was able to see light, recognize objects, and detect motion.
“[Previous patients] “I had visual hallucinations but the recovery with Terol was real,” said Fernandez. The lead author of this study, which has been published by the scientific journal, Brain Communications
“We conducted a series tests and observed that he had recovered a portion of his visual perception. He wasn’t seeing any lights. He was only seeing what was directly in front him.
The human trials are now moving into the next phase.
READ MORE Spanish scientists cure pancreatic cancer in mice – raising hopes for a breakthrough in humans
Fernandez continued: “When I studied medicine, if this patient had not recovered in two months, there was nothing that could be done. They would have to visit the Spanish National Organisation of the Blind.
“Now, what we see, is that it’s not completely reversed after three years. But there are options and we should understand what we can, how far can we go.
“Perhaps, it can serve as foundation, opening up new avenues to develop new therapeutic approaches for sensory pathologies such as vision impairment but also stroke.”
The discovery comes days after a Spanish team of researchers successfully treated pancreatic cancers using mice.
Three low-toxicity drugs were administered to mice by scientists at the National Cancer Research Center in Madrid (CNIO), led by oncologist Mariano Barbacid. This treatment eliminated the pancreatic cancer cell.
The triple therapeutic combination is set to undergo clinical trials. This breakthrough could lead to a revolutionary treatment for humans.
According to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), over 10,000 people are diagnosed with the disease in Spain every year – with less than 10 per cent of patients surviving more than five years after diagnosis.
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