What does Jason Bourne and Eye Disease have in Common?

Many of you may remember the different Jason Bourne movies starring Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Legacy, Jason Bourne, and Treadstone). I always wanted to be a tough guy like Jason.

The premise of the character of Jason Bourne is that gene therapy is used to enhance his fighting and knowledge capabilities such that he becomes an expert assassin and almost superhuman.

Gene therapy is a treatment where a piece of DNA is inserted into a person’s cells using a genetically modified virus that infects the cell and inserts the DNA sequence. This DNA sequence then codes for a particular chemical that is desired. In this way, the person’s own cells can manufacture a desired chemical or drug. In Jason Bourne’s case the substance produced gives him his superhuman capabilities.

Gene therapy is now being studied in the treatment of different eye diseases such as Macular Degeneration and Diabetic eye disease. It is showing promise. Using Gene therapy it is hoped that we might use a designed virus to cause the body to produce a drug to combat these diseases so that a patient may not need to continue taking a drug for the disease because the patient’s own body can produce it.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/medical-professionals/ophthalmology/news/potential-one-time-gene-therapy-treatment-for-wet-age-related-macular-degeneration/mac-20551865

https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/gene-therapy-for-amd

Pretty fascinating and exciting stuff if you ask me!

The future is now.