Dr. Baehr Discovers Gene Linked to Childhood Disease

Salt Lake City, Utah
January 25, 2007

Moran Eye Center researcher Wolfgang Baehr,Ph.D., in collaboration with three other research teams, recently published an analysis of a gene called "Retinal Dehydrogenase 12" (RDH12).

Defects in the RDH12 gene can cause the devastating childhood eye disease called "Leber Congenital Amaurosis" (LCA), a degenerative disease that results in a severe loss of vision. Children with LCA account for 10-18% of all cases of congenital blindness. Vision in individuals with LCA varies greatly from relatively mild acuity problems (20/70) to no light perception. There is currently no treatment for LCA. The researchers hope that this discovery will be an important part of the puzzle leading to treatments for this blinding eye disease.

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