Therapeutic approaches to halting photoreceptor cell death in the retina

Abstract

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of hereditary retinopathies affecting approximately 1 in 3500 people in the developed world. The disorders are characterised by the early onset of night blindness followed by a progressive loss of the visual field. The primary defect underlying RP affects the rod photoreceptor cell and subsequently , mostly unknown molecular and cellular mechanisms trigger the apoptotic degeneration of both rod and cone photoreceptors. A further major characteristic of this group of disorders is the genetic and clinical heterogeneity which has complicated the developments of therapeutic strategies aimed at slowing or halting photoreceptor cell death.