The parents of eight-year-old Finley, who has lost most of her central vision, set up the RDH12 Fund for Sight.
Whenever she dropped her toy or dummy, shed lean down to pick it up, but then freeze for a moment, unable to find it. In the kitchen, if the fridge was open andshe was looking at me, shed walk into the door it wouldnt appear in her peripheral vision. Yiota Charalambous is describing how she first began to suspect that her daughter Anna, then aged two, had a problem with her sight.
Bumping into objects that leap out of the snowstorm of faulty peripheral vision is a hazard that is painfully familiar to me, and others like me, who have the degenerative eye disorder retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The condition is the most common cause of blindness among working-age people in the west, affecting one in 3,500. Unlike Anna, though, most of us are not diagnosed until we are adults. I was 26 a fairly typical age to receive the fateful news.
Anna is anything but typical, in that she has a rare form of RP known as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Though everyone with RP shares a similar fate partial or total blindness for most of us the deterioration occurs gradually over many years. Children with LCA get no such reprieve; they lose their sight rapidly, and most are totally blind by the time they are 20.
Anna is now four, and the latest tests on her retinas indicate that neither rods nor cones the two types of photoreceptor cell responsible for turning light into image signals are functioning. This means she should be totally blind, says Yiota, but images are still getting to her brain. They cant explain it. Though Anna still has some useful sight, how much longer she can confound her doctors isuncertain.
RP is actually an umbrella term for dozens of different inherited retinal dystrophies. More than 50 associated genes have been identified so far, but multiple different mutations within these genes can cause the condition, and there is a long way to go before every mutation is isolated. A sample of my DNA is now somewhere in a long queue of test tubes at Moorfields eye hospital waiting to be screened; even when it is, the chance of pinpointing my particular genetic glitch is only 50/50. A wellspring of hope for Annas family is that the mutation causing her sight loss is known, understood, and already the subject of intensive study.
The gene in question is called RDH12, and it is responsible for encoding an enzyme that breaks down toxins in the retina. Without this enzyme, toxins accumulate, function is disrupted and cells begin to die. LCA affects one in 100,000 people, but worldwide there are only around 1,800 reported cases of this particular form of LCA, known as RDH12 LCA including the 21 children of the 15 families who constitute the US-based support group, the RDH12 Fund for Sight. Together, these families are striving to raise enough money to pay for the medical research on which all their hopes are pinned.
The group was set up by Mat and Jennifer Pletcher, from Boston, Massachusetts, in 2010, when their daughter Finley, then aged four, was diagnosed with the RDH12 LCA. Finley, now eight, has since lost most of her central vision, and Mat fears that as her sight has ebbed away so too has her confidence: Out on the playground, its a struggle for her to find the kids she knows because she just cant see well enough. Often shell opt to just play by herself because its easier.
The area of research where most headway has been made is in gene therapy. In 2007, a small group of patients affected by a mutation in the RPE65 gene became the first to have a corrective version of the gene inserted into their retina using a virus vector. None suffered adverse effects, and one experienced an improvement in night vision demonstrating proof of principle. Lead researcher Professor Robin Ali explains that the next trial will use a more potent vector and should move the research a vital step closer to the licensing of a drug capable of preserving daytime vision and slowing degeneration a goal that he believes is attainable within three or four years.
Where does this leave parents whose children are affected by the more aggressive RDH12 form of the disease? Do they have grounds for hope? Yes. We are committed to developing a trial [with RDH12], says Professor Ali. We have shown proof of concept in a mouse model, and we are moving to the next stage.
Read more:
A glimmer of hope for children facing blindness
- Amarantus Announces Positive Orphan Data for MANF in Retinitis Pigmentosa - August 14th, 2013 [August 14th, 2013]
- Amarantus BioScience - “Ophthalmology: MANF’s Orphan Strategy Coming into Focus in Retinitis Pigmentosa” - August 14th, 2013 [August 14th, 2013]
- RiverDogs Donate $20,000 to MUSC Storm Eye Institute - August 14th, 2013 [August 14th, 2013]
- Casino mogul Steve Wynn donates $25 million to find cure for eye disease he has - August 14th, 2013 [August 14th, 2013]
- Explaining Retinitis Pigmentosa, RP - Video - August 14th, 2013 [August 14th, 2013]
- FIRATLI CLINIC ISTANBUL Retinitis Pigmentosa HeilungTunnelBlick) - Video - August 18th, 2013 [August 18th, 2013]
- Treatment for retinitis pigmentosa - Video - August 18th, 2013 [August 18th, 2013]
- FIRATLI CLINIC ISTANBUL Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment DUTCH) - Video - August 20th, 2013 [August 20th, 2013]
- FIRATLI CLINIC AvtarEngland) A MUST WATCH FOR Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment (+Visionfieldtest) - Video - August 20th, 2013 [August 20th, 2013]
- Argus® II Retinal Prosthesis System Gets Government Funding in Both USA and Europe - August 21st, 2013 [August 21st, 2013]
- Second Sight Medical Named 2014 Technology Pioneer - September 1st, 2013 [September 1st, 2013]
- Retinitis pigmentosa treated with acupuncture - Video - September 1st, 2013 [September 1st, 2013]
- Man Copes with Retinitis Pigmentosa - September 8th, 2013 [September 8th, 2013]
- Dompé Announces the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Has Granted Orphan Drug Designation to its rhNGF-based ... - September 11th, 2013 [September 11th, 2013]
- September is healthy aging month—keep your mind active with free talking books - September 12th, 2013 [September 12th, 2013]
- Visually-impaired educator helps guide New Caney students - September 13th, 2013 [September 13th, 2013]
- Bionic eye shines light on darkness - September 15th, 2013 [September 15th, 2013]
- Football fan’s quest helps him to savor his fading sight - September 15th, 2013 [September 15th, 2013]
- Whole DNA sequencing reveals mutations, new gene for blinding disease - September 16th, 2013 [September 16th, 2013]
- This Week in PNAS - September 17th, 2013 [September 17th, 2013]
- First Self-Powered Artificial Retina Could Allow Normal Visual Acuity and Restoration of Color Vision - September 17th, 2013 [September 17th, 2013]
- Bionic eye offers gift of sight - September 24th, 2013 [September 24th, 2013]
- Lesa Kretschmer, CEO of Florida Reading & Vision Technology Inc., Named Honorary Chair of the 2013 South Florida ... - September 26th, 2013 [September 26th, 2013]
- Blind Yuba City man: ‘I walk every day, rain or shine’ - September 30th, 2013 [September 30th, 2013]
- Sun Pharma ties up with US company to offer new treatment of ocular diseases - October 1st, 2013 [October 1st, 2013]
- Sun Pharma and Intrexon Form Joint Venture to Develop New Class of Therapeutics for Ocular Diseases - October 1st, 2013 [October 1st, 2013]
- Sun Pharma inks joint venture with Intrexon - October 2nd, 2013 [October 2nd, 2013]
- NIH Scientists Pursue New Therapies To Improve Rare Disease Drug Development - October 2nd, 2013 [October 2nd, 2013]
- New bionic eye may help restore some vision in blind - October 8th, 2013 [October 8th, 2013]
- Trio heading to B.C. to join finish of Craig Gives Back tour - October 8th, 2013 [October 8th, 2013]
- Simple urine test could help diagnose eye disease - October 9th, 2013 [October 9th, 2013]
- The Low Vision Exam: Low Vision Specialists of Maryland and Virginia #3: - Video - October 10th, 2013 [October 10th, 2013]
- Blind cyclist nearing Penticton - October 10th, 2013 [October 10th, 2013]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa: Almost normal vision after 12 months treatment - Video - October 10th, 2013 [October 10th, 2013]
- Kelly: Steve Lonegan's passion fueled by challenges - October 13th, 2013 [October 13th, 2013]
- Glasses for Macular Degeneration: Low Vision Specialists of Maryland and Virginia #5 - Video - October 13th, 2013 [October 13th, 2013]
- Simple blood or urine test to identify blinding disease - October 16th, 2013 [October 16th, 2013]
- Blind Florida running back reaches the end zone during game - October 18th, 2013 [October 18th, 2013]
- Retinal Prosthesis System: 2014 Medical Innovation No. 1 - Video - October 20th, 2013 [October 20th, 2013]
- RetroSense Therapeutics Selected by Windhover as a “Top Project to Watch: Most Licensable Product” - October 28th, 2013 [October 28th, 2013]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment - October 31st, 2013 [October 31st, 2013]
- Retinitis pigmentosa - Genetics Home Reference - October 31st, 2013 [October 31st, 2013]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa Symptoms, Signs, Treatment, Causes, Research ... - October 31st, 2013 [October 31st, 2013]
- Foundation Fighting Blindness - What is Retinitis Pigmentosa? - October 31st, 2013 [October 31st, 2013]
- Retinitis pigmentosa - RNIB - RNIB - supporting blind and ... - October 31st, 2013 [October 31st, 2013]
- Retinitis pigmentosa: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia - November 9th, 2013 [November 9th, 2013]
- Retinitis pigmentosa - National Library of Medicine - PubMed Health - November 11th, 2013 [November 11th, 2013]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa 11-06-2013 - Video - November 13th, 2013 [November 13th, 2013]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa treatment - acunova eye acupuncture after John Boel - Video - November 14th, 2013 [November 14th, 2013]
- Retinitis pigmentosa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - November 21st, 2013 [November 21st, 2013]
- Retinitis pigmentosa | University of Maryland Medical Center - November 21st, 2013 [November 21st, 2013]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa - Low Vision - November 23rd, 2013 [November 23rd, 2013]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa or RP - AllAboutVision.com - November 26th, 2013 [November 26th, 2013]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa - Video - December 9th, 2013 [December 9th, 2013]
- RP International Spreads Holiday Cheer with The Eyes of Christmas™ - December 12th, 2013 [December 12th, 2013]
- UT Dallas Materials Scientist Research Contributes to Invention Recognized by Time Magazine - December 19th, 2013 [December 19th, 2013]
- Time is short, and sight is precious, for Sydney family living under shadow of mystery disease - December 19th, 2013 [December 19th, 2013]
- Me Driving (Prt 2) - Video - December 23rd, 2013 [December 23rd, 2013]
- Treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa: normal vision after 9 months - Video - December 28th, 2013 [December 28th, 2013]
- Seeing Tomorrow - Video - January 1st, 2014 [January 1st, 2014]
- Edible batteries to power pacemakers + more - January 2nd, 2014 [January 2nd, 2014]
- How to cure blindness, concussions and baldness - January 2nd, 2014 [January 2nd, 2014]
- Matthew unlocks the iPad for blind and partially-sighted - January 4th, 2014 [January 4th, 2014]
- How poor eyesight led to a great vision - January 5th, 2014 [January 5th, 2014]
- Tea Thyme in Texas fundraiser set to be held at The Overlook - January 10th, 2014 [January 10th, 2014]
- Ballard author has hope that heals - January 11th, 2014 [January 11th, 2014]
- Distance runner knows the joy of competition - January 14th, 2014 [January 14th, 2014]
- Gene Therapy Tested as a Way to Stop Blindness - January 16th, 2014 [January 16th, 2014]
- Treatment may save thousands from blindness - January 16th, 2014 [January 16th, 2014]
- Gene therapy gives sight back to patients due to go blind - January 16th, 2014 [January 16th, 2014]
- Gene Therapy May Restore Sight in People With Rare Blinding Disease - January 16th, 2014 [January 16th, 2014]
- Blind Civil Rights Attorney, Athlete To Speak At Chabad House - January 17th, 2014 [January 17th, 2014]
- Visual Field Test results 4- Medical Evidence of Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment- FIRATLI CLINIC - Video - January 20th, 2014 [January 20th, 2014]
- Gesichtsfeldtests 2- Retinitis Pigmentosa Behandlung (Retinopathia Pigmentosa) - FIRATLI KLINIK - Video - January 20th, 2014 [January 20th, 2014]
- Visual Field Test results 3-Medical Evidence of Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment- FIRATLI CLINIC - Video - January 21st, 2014 [January 21st, 2014]
- Visual Field Test Results 2- Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment- FIRATLI CLINIC - Video - January 21st, 2014 [January 21st, 2014]
- Visual field test results 1-Medical Evidence of Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment- FIRATLI CLINIC - Video - January 21st, 2014 [January 21st, 2014]
- Mass. Eye and Ear physician awarded RPB Career Development Award - January 23rd, 2014 [January 23rd, 2014]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment / Behandlung- FIRATLI CLINIC Proof( Visual Field Test) Eng subtitle! - Video - January 23rd, 2014 [January 23rd, 2014]
- Retinitis Pigmentosa Treatment / Behandlung- FIRATLI CLINIC German with Eng.Subtitles - Video - January 23rd, 2014 [January 23rd, 2014]