A Cure for the Colorblind: Roadmap to Gene Therapy

In 2009, with colorblindness cured in monkeys, the cure was in grasp, but someone fumbled it. 13 years later, we are struggling to make much progress. When are we gonna see the first colorblind cure?

Footnotes and Transcript:
Glossary, including most of the technical terms in this video:
June 2022 Neitz Monkey Abstract:

[OldboyWOW]

Im waiting 15 years already for that gene therapy. Its crazy how hard is for them to cure that... or they just dont want to. I've missed such wonduferul jobs which are well payed cuz of my lack.

[ianonbass]

man this vid needs more views. crazy I played soccer and always had the worst time playing against a green shirt team while we wore red. it was horrible only finding out 5-7 years after.

[SkeletonSSBM]

I've been wondering what happened to gene therapy for a long time. I heard about it, got really excited, and then forgot about it for about 2 years. Thanks for explaining!

[CaribouOrange]

I had been wondering. Excellent video, thank you ^^

[GreatCollapsingHrung]

My 5 year old son has red-green color blindness. Lately he’s shown a lot of talent for art. He draws things that amaze me. I really think he could make it his career. But I fear that he may get discouraged and give up on it because of how some people react to his color choices. He’s asked me on multiple occasions if color blindness ever goes away, or if it can be cured, and it breaks my heart. I want so much for there to be a cure.

I’ve wondered if gene therapy would be able to cure it, and if so, how close we are to having it. Tonight, on a whim, I searched and found this video, which was both encouraging, and discouraging at the same time. Encouraging because it seems to be physiologically possible, but discouraging because it seems like it should have been available years ago but isn’t much of a priority for the medical community.

I hope a cure becomes available soon.

[JerryB]

Still hoping for a cure! I found out that I was colorblind at the age of 20 (25 now) and I never knew it before... I applied to the police acedemy to follow my dream career of becoming a police officer. Only to get kicked out because I was unable to pass the isiharatests. It ruined my life and never got to find a job I realy liked. After years and years it still sticks to me.

[TheRowdyrobs]

Thank you thank you thank you for researching this topic. Like you I have been waiting for a cure after learning about the spider monkeys. I recently learned that psychedelic like mushrooms and lcd can “temporarily” cured colorblindness, better put, temporarily provide you with full color vision. It might have something to do with the neural plasticity topic you mentioned. I wonder if you’re willing to do a video on that?

[generrosity]

There is a video "I genetically engineered myself to fix lacrosse intolerance" on The Thought Emporium (also known as NileRed) where he used CRISPR gene therapy to detect the location of the gene and replace it. It's done via blood circulation, which might be ok getting through to the eyes? Certainly an interesting watch even if you take it no further

[Identyx]

Where is the second part ? I am exicted

[Riaz-exe]

As someone with normal color vision im so grateful so see normal one day if you guys ever get a cure trust me youre in for a real treat ❤❤

[jumpander]

On the topic of neuroplasticity and colors:

I've experimented with glasses that have one magenta colored right lense. This lense creates a new second narrowed green for my right eye. The combination of the normal color spectrum of my left eye and the modified one of my right eye let's me subjectively see specific secondary colors in greater detail (almost resembling new colors) with the post-processing help of my brain: a "grassy" green (a better lime-green) and a "fency" green (a better turquoiuse green), in addition to a "green" green (a more vivid green).* However, I had to learn this like a new skill and build it over at least a whole year. While I remember being able to see these new, more minute color differences in hindsigh, the first time I wore these glasses my brain was just overwhelmed with the new color input. In a way, I had to relearn colors and I still do. I had to learn to see colors not via cone signal combinations but by interpreting the 'color-overlap-value' of two differently colored input pictures.

I've tested these one-magenta-lense glasses on at least 10 other people and all of them reported seeing (almost instantly or in a matter of minutes) new color differences they could not before. However, with varying degrees of comfort. Some instantly adjusted to the new color information and could immediately combine the two differently colored input images just fine, without any brain or eye hurt. But others got a headache really quick and stated to feel slightly, moderately or strongly uncomfortable. Some also reported that the different overlapping colors not really combine to form a single new color but switch back and forth between the two colors. But they also reported this got better the longer they wore the glasses (-> neuroplasticity).

My hypothesis is that changes in color vision from either color filters or color gene therapy instantly have an impact on your brain, but interpreting and giving meaning to these new colors / color differences is the difficult part and the learning task for both you and your brain.


*Footnote: The terms "grassy" and "fency" are inspired by Ágnes Holba's & B. Lukács's "ON TETRACHROMACY". You can search for this on google if interested.

[dhawaldeshmukh]

is their any update regarding gene therepy? can we expect cure of colorblindness anytime soon!?

[sumanpanja]

I am really waiting for the treatment. 😭😭

[dskfjsd]

Olá! Meu filho foi diagnosticado com acromatopsia e estamos aguardando para fazer o teste genético para saber em qual gene é a falha. Somos do Brasil. Sabe dizer se está havendo terapia genética nos Estados Unidos para este problema?

[vanderkarl]

It boggles the mind that this channel has so little attention. My only guess is that the algorithm doesn't favor content that appeals primarily to the relatively small percentage of youtube viewers that are both colorblind and interested in educational content. This wouldn't be the first example of an ableistic bias in YouTube... I'm still mad about community captions being globally disabled.

[thornaxx]

I heard that AI does wonders in medical problems that humans struggle to find solutions to. AI sees connections that we do not see, and does not understand. I wonder if someone is using AI in their studies?

[guiorgy]

Wouldn't genetically modifying the sperm and removing the recessive CVD genes be easier? If successful, it would also mean no more CVD in the following generations.

[willguggn]

... just a bit of engagement for the algorithm. :)

[discod]

Hey, I have a question here.

You know how some people are "tetrachromats", where they have 4 colour cones?

Is it possible to have "Anomalous tetrachromacy" where you have 4 colour cones but 1 is slightly impaired?

If so, would their colour vision be better or worse than an average trichromatic person?

[ShallaBal]

I'm surprised that the comments here all indicate that a "cure" would be something people would want. My dad is colour blind and he only found out as an adult when he tried to get hired on at CN Rail. From there, he stopped doing art because he thought it fruitless because he couldn't see colour like other people. Now my own son is colour blind, and my husband and I hope he doesn't see it as a hindrance of any kind. Using apps like CV Simulator, we now see not only how our son sees but also how my dad sees, and I can't believe he, or anyone, would give up art because of colour blindness. I'd love to see my dad's or my son's interpretation of a sunset or a rainbow or ANYTHING - it would make for the coolest art ever. I hope people with colour blindness stop seeing it as something they need to correct - only 300 million people the world over have colour blindness, and if you narrowed it down into the different types, that means that only a fraction of the world sees it like you do. That seems cool to me, not something to correct.