Gene linked to congenital blindness identified

A team of international researchers working at the McGill University Health Center has identified the gene responsible for Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), the most common cause of congenital blindness among infants and young children.

Robert Koenekoop, director of the McGill Ocular Genetics Center said "our main goal is to identify all the genes responsible for congenital blindness in children and then study them so we can then use gene therapy to rescue their vision. " Only two samples, one form a U.S. subject and one from a Quebec subject were used in the study, allowing the scientists to complete the research within a few months, instead of several years, as previously required.

It is anticipated that this method could become a model for future identification of other retinal diseases and causes of blindness.

The research can be found in the journal Nature Genetics.