Mutation-independent rhodopsin gene therapy by knockdown and replacement with a single AAV vector

Significance A number of gene-augmentation strategies are entering clinical trials for the treatment of inherited retinal blindness. Gene therapy for autosomal dominant diseases faces significant obstacles that include allelic heterogeneity and the potential need to silence the mutated gene. Here we show that a single-gene therapy vector that combines knockdown of the causative gene with its replacement by a resistant wild-type copy can prevent photoreceptor cell death and vision loss in a canine model of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa.