Colorblindness Humans and animals alike can be born with a single defective gene which induces colorblindness -The result of this defective gene is the inability to distinguish certain colors from gray. -The monkeys were red-green colorblind meaning that they could not see any variation of red or green because of this gene defect.

Colorblindness

Humans and animals alike can be born with a single defective gene which induces colorblindness

-The result of this defective gene is the inability to distinguish certain colors from gray.

-The monkeys were red-green colorblind meaning that they could not see any variation of red or green because of this gene defect.

Therefore, to the monkeys.. This slide would appear to be--

GRAY!

It was once believed that this problem could not be fixed because scientists thought that the brain could not process colors it had never processed before.

The researchers at the University of Washington created a virus that would inject this gene into the eye. Within twenty weeks the monkeys had gained to ability to see red and green as different colors. The researchers believe that this method of treatment could someday be applied to humans.

Researchers also believe that this method of treatment may also be able to be applied to people blind of all color, and perhaps even to people with macular degeneration. Although this is just speculation, it seems as if this smaller experiment on the primates may be opening many doors for victims of colorblindness everywhere. In the near future, by injecting genes via a virus, we may be able to introduce color to eyes that have never before seen any, which would be a remarkable scientific breakthrough indeed.

Gene Therapy Cures Colorblind Monkeys http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gene-therapy-cures-colorblindness Graham, and Hayes