For people like Ralph Johnson, this advance could make a big difference in his ability to see.
"Most of the things I can see -- pretty much everybody in the room, except their face," said Johnson. "It'd be hard to see your face."
"So in this case, take this Robo pathway of drugs which activate Robo4 directly, for example, inject them into the eyes to treat the two leading causes of blindness," said Ng Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. with Moran Eye Center Visual Sciences.
Results of the mouse models look so good right now, human clinical trials are sure to follow. Those trials could begin within five years.
