We firmly believe that the achievements of women in the field of hereditary eye diseases have to be made visible and acknowledged worldwide. For this reason, and to celebrate the International Women's Day, we have interviewed Marcela Ciccioli, President of Stargardt APNES Retina Argentina. Marcela is a tireless fighter, a source of energy and a beacon of hope. Her firm...
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Genes are DNA sequences that contain information for the synthesis of proteins and they are composed of exonic and intronic sequences. The exons possess the information used for the protein synthesis, whereas the introns, although they do not contain information translated into protein, they play an important role to ensure their correct formation. Each gene has several exons interspersed between...
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The December supplement (2018) of "El País" has been devoted entirely to disseminating knowledge about rare diseases. Among other topics, it has highlighted the importance of prevention, early diagnosis, the development of orphan drugs and genetic diagnosis. One of the articles in the supplement is dedicated to rare diseases that affect the retina and among them describes the clinical symptoms...
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Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are a broad group of neurodegenerative disorders associated with reduced or deteriorating visual system. In the retina, cells are under constant oxidative stress due to several environmental factors, particularly light exposure and physiological stress, making photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells more susceptible to cell death. Inherited mutations in relevant genes that contribute to citoprotective mechanisms such...
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PhD. Roser Gonzàlez and PhD. Gemma Marfany, founders and directors of the company DBGen Ocular Genomics, were invited to participate as columnists of the issue 32 of the Barraquer Ophthalmology Center magazine. Their contribution was dedicated to the genetic diagnosis of inherited eye diseases, emphasizing aspects such as the importance of new technologies: "Massive sequencing of the whole gene or specific genetic regions...
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A very recent publication (May 2018) of researchers from the University of Newcastle showed that creating human corneas in a 3D printer was possible. The cornea, the external, transparent and resistant part of the eye, is formed by alive cells that can suffer environment and trauma aggressions. Moreover, many genetic mutations cause inherited corneal dystrophies (e.g. Ched corneal endothelial, Fehr...
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