Geneticists develop novel gene therapy for glaucoma | Hacker News Reader

Geneticists develop novel gene therapy for glaucoma

tcd.ie

103 pointsgeox16 comments

Most interesting. There are even easier and more direct ways to improve resistance to glaucoma; namely high dose nictotinamide (aka niacinamide aka non-flushing vitamin B3, aka NAM).

The key paper was published in Science in 2017 by Pete Williams, Simon John and colleagues in mice.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28209901/

Vit B3 at relatively high dose (1 to 4 gm/day) is now being tested in several human clinical trials for glaucoma and other forms of neurodegenerative and neurocognitive age-related diseases.

See ClinicalTrsil.giv

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=Glaucoma&term=ni...

Results are promising, but like most therapeutics the efficacy is likely to vary by genotype, disease subtype, age, diet etc.

I’ve been taking 3 g/day for 6 years and have noticed improvements in cognitive function (recall, speech speed). But I freely admit that this could be placebo effect or due to weight loss and more exercise, so take my n=1 uncontrolled trial with big grain of salt.

Did you test your blood levels first or just start taking it?

Does it affect your sleep at all? Does it matter if you take it in the morning/night?

Do you only benefit from the high dose? Do you take 3 grams all at once, or with meals?

Your mileage may vary but here is a brief set of answers.

I just started taking it given advice from experts in glaucoma. This vitamin has great safety profile even at 5 g/day oral. But source it carefully from reputable manufacturer.

Yes, initially my sleep improved. I do not take before sleeping.

Not critical: My typical pattern when at home is 1 gm x 3 time points spread through day, but it shouldn’t matter much. No adverse GI symptoms in 6 years.

Do you take a B complex vitamin or exclusively B3?

Taking any single B vitamin can deplete other B vitamins. It is best to take a B Complex as a baseline and add to that.

Not all B vitamins have a wide safety profile, so I consider this poor advice if your goal is to get to 3 g/day of B3.

Do you have citation specific for B3?

Just niacinamide—non-flushing B3.

I just got an ad that companies want to store our cells while we are young / less old

Similar to egg freezing having greater efficacy when women aren’t thinking about egg freezing

Anybody have thoughts on that?

There might be some benefit to storing certain stem cells when young. On the other hand body-wide youthening treatments (such as blood cleaning) might work just as well, as they are developed. Just my two cents.

This article is about a therapy that shows promise for age related macular degeneration, being promising for glaucoma as well.

I recently heard about using gene therapy to cure sickle cell anemia.

Might be a good hedge, but I bet there will be ways to treat age related diseases well soon. Of course you’d have to be filthy rich or be a test subject to get it.

> "I just got an ad that companies want to store our cells while we are young / less old"

Too late for me but it looks an interesting idea enabling to boost organs later in life.

The title on HN is not the article title and is misleading. They have a therapy for one condition and reason to think it might help with glaucoma, among other things.

“Because a loss of retinal ganglion cells leads to sight loss in many conditions including inherited optic neuropathies and glaucoma, we are excited that this potential therapeutic approach could provide benefit to many patients in the future,”

Still cool, but just FYI. This is very early still.

Be nice to get some new treatments for this illness. I was recently diagnosed and basically now I have to take moderately expensive drops for the rest of my life (or until I go blind.) Drops are basically the same treatment my grandmother got when she was diagnosed in the 1960s. I think its just a too much of a cash cow for anyone based in the US to investigate a real cure.

Glaucoma is the one and only indication for which the United States government has been supplying select individuals with government-grown medicinal cannabis since the 70’s.

For free!

"It ain't no joke I'd like to buy the world a toke..."

-- Smash Mouth

That's dope.

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