Meet The Future

The Middle of the Middle Kingdom

          Chengdu, a city known for its spicy cuisine, panda bears, and mahjong, has recently become a global hotspot. The Abbott World Marathon, which takes place next weekend, is just one of the many events that have put Chengdu on the map. This past August, the city hosted the 2021 FISU Federal International University Sports Games, yes I know it is now 2023, but because of COVID restrictions and printed merchandise, the name remains the same. In two weeks, soccer superstar Lionel Messi is set to play an exhibition game here. AND just last weekend, the Science Fiction Worldcon was held in Chengdu, where the prestigious Hugo Awards were presented to the world’s best authors in science fiction and fantasy.

The World Science Fiction Museum and venue for the 2023 Hugo award ceremony.

          Chengdu went to great lengths to secure the rights to host the Hugo Awards, even constructing a striking, cloud-shaped building atop a lake. What's particularly intriguing is that this remarkable event was just a stone's throw away from the school I work at and Lionel attends. A week before the ceremony, the co-chair of the Hugo Awards visited our school to address our students. On Friday, both students and staff received event passes to experience the convention. I had the opportunity to see Liu Cixin, the Chinese author of the award-winning "Three-Body Problem," which is currently being adapted into a Netflix series.

The view from outside my office . The largest security pass I've ever adorned. Photos from the opening ceremony.

        While the architecture and fountains were stunning, I couldn't help but feel somewhat desensitized to the futuristic interior design, as it resembled what I seem to now find in most modern shopping malls. It's clear that technology is increasingly ingrained in our daily lives. While a part of me longs for the days before screens dominated our world, another part of me celebrates the remarkable technological advancements in retinal therapies. Researching potential treatments for Lionel's eye condition feels like I am in a world science fiction.

 

Eyeing Treatments

         Last August, Lionel, Xiao Hong, and I flew to New York to visit Columbia University's Ophthalmology Department and meet with Dr. Steven Tsang. We discussed options for improving Lionel's eyesight or, at the very least, maintaining it. Dr. Tsang is part of a team that includes researchers Peter Quinn and Irene Maumenee, and they are focused on finding a cure for CRB1 through gene editing. Although there have been breakthrough discoveries in treating other forms of LCA, the large size of the CRB1 gene mutation makes delivery more complex. However, the Columbia research team is diligently working to find a solution. Before any treatment can be approved, the researchers must demonstrate its safety and efficacy to the FDA. This is where Lionel may play a crucial role, and this is where the real science fiction adventure begins.

The Columbia CRB1 research team.

         During Lionel’s eye appointment, Lionel's had his eyes dilated, scanned, examined through a myriad of lenses. At the very end, Xiao Hong and I agreed to allow the doctors to remove a skin sample from his buttocks. The harvested DNA cells from the skin sample will allow scientists to cultivate retinal organoids in petri dishes, which will serve as the testing ground for their treatments and methods of delivery. While I was glad for the chance to make such a potentially impactful contribution and amazed at the advancements in science, Lionel was as gung-ho. I picked an inopportune time to use the bathroom before the procedure, and had no problems finding which room Lionel had gone into on my way back. The technician who took the skin sample happened to be Chinese and did her best to comfort him in both languages, but Lionel wouldn’t let her near him to stitch him up. After many bloody bandages and a big chocolate donut, Lionel insightfully pointed out a key difference between China and America: "In China, when you go to the eye doctor, they just look at your eyes, but in America, they check your eyes and sting your butt."

 

 

A computer image of Boris's (Lionel's teddy bear) left eye. Boris also got to go through most of the eye tests. Lionel decided that Boris didn't need to donate a skin sample, and that his contribution would be big enough for the both of them.

Putting Hope in Motion

       I want to thank all of you again for reading my blog and especially those that have made donations to the CRB1 Foundation. Funding is the key that unlocks the doors of research and innovation. In Peter Quinn's lab, promising results have already emerged from working with gene editing on retinal organoids with CRB1 mutations. You can learn more about his research in the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI0xAPjshbc (skip to minute 24). Additionally, as we wait for the upcoming cure, the CRB1 foundation aims to provide individuals with limited eyesight the necessary tools and resources to overcome the challenges they face while searching for a cure.

         

        In 2019, I coined the phrase "foresight 20/20," anticipating that 2020 would be the best year ever. I had plans to rent an RV and head to the Chili Parlor bar in Austin, Texas, for a Mad Dog Margarita, as Guy Clark sang about in "Dublin Blues." As it turned out, I'm no fortune teller and like you, my 2020 didn’t go as planned. However, given the rapid advancements in the field of retinal diseases, I'm amending my slogan to "for sight 2030."