e-Newsletter June 2023
Our monthly e-Newsletter featuring the latest updates from Retina UK. Subscribe now to receive these updates directly to your email.
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Applications invited for project grants and studentships
Retina UK invites applications for funding for innovative, high quality research projects investigating the causes and potential treatments for all forms of inherited retinal disease. We are particularly keen to receive proposals with demonstrable translational potential.
Meet our volunteers: Steve and Khadeja
Steve has been volunteering for Retina UK since its formation in 1976 and has been a part of the Helpline team since the early 1980s.. He remembers very well a caller named Khadeja, who called the Helpline multiple times, following her diagnosis with RP in 1999.
The Gene Team
Funding from Retina UK has allowed to team to explore the viability of gene therapy as a treatment for RP and related conditions, and build a pipeline of clinical trials.
News: Notice of the forthcoming Retina UK AGM – September 2024
Formal notice of the forthcoming Annual General Meeting in September 2024.
About Unlock Genetics
The aim of the site is to increase the level of awareness and understanding of genetic testing and genetic counselling among people living with inherited retinal dystrophies, empowering them to make fully informed decisions about their lives, healthcare and family planning.
Meet a Researcher: Dr Nikolas Pontikos
Dr Nikolas Pontikos is a Senior Research Fellow at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and has been working on inherited retinal conditions for several years.
Autosomal dominant inheritance
Autosomal dominant inheritance means that the faulty gene is on an autosome (any chromosome other than the sex chromosomes) and that only one faulty copy is needed to cause sight loss.
Phase 3 clinical trial has been given approval by FDA
The FDA has given Ocugen permission to start their phase 3 gene therapy clinical trial for retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Light sensing small molecule given green light
Biotechnology company Kiora Pharmaceuticals has been given the go-ahead to start in-human testing of a novel “small molecule” treatment, known as KIO-301, for advanced vision loss in retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The phase 1b clinical trial will take place in Adelaide, Australia, and will begin enrolling participants towards the end of 2022.