New blindness treatment shows promising early results
New blindness treatment shows promising early results
Scientists tested a therapy based on the research that won the 2026 Nobel Prize. Ten patients who were almost completely blind from retinitis pigmentosa received gene therapy. A special gene was injected into the eye, making the remaining cells sensitive to light. Patients then wore special goggles that turned the real world into light patterns the modified cells could detect.
Results:
- 7 patients became more sensitive to light
- 6 could detect objects, tell where they were, and reach for them
This is still a small study. Larger trials are needed. But it shows that even in advanced blindness the brain can still process new visual information.
Prostate cancer: radiation works as well as surgery, with fewer side effects
For early-stage prostate cancer, a short course of focused radiation (just 5 sessions) controlled the cancer about as well as surgery. After 8 years:
- 91% of radiation patients had no cancer return
- 84% of surgery patients had no return
Side effects were clearly better with radiation:
- Sexual function stayed much better
- Urinary problems were far less common
Brain metastases from aggressive lung cancer
For small-cell lung cancer that has spread to the brain, treating only the visible tumors with focused radiation may be better than radiating the whole brain. Patients lived a median of 17 months versus 9 months. Effects on memory and thinking were roughly similar.