JDRF Funded Researcher Recognised Amongst '10 of the Best'
August 15, 2005

A project conducted by JDRF-funded researcher Professor Elizabeth Rakoczy, which uses gene therapy to correct blindness, has been recognised by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) as one of the top ten research projects in Australia today. Professor Rakoczy and her team are using a harmless, genetically engineered virus to carry a healthy version of patient's own genetic code into the retinal pigment cells of the eye, to replace those genes that are unhealthy or mutated.

The gene therapy research has proved successful in a mouse model and has progressed to Briand dogs. It is hoped that human gene therapy utilising this process will begin in two to three years. The research is most effective in treating hereditary disorders in cases where the genetic defect is known and the gene therapy technique is currently being used to treat a form of retinal dystrophy.

With funding from JDRF and the Westpac Foundation, Professor Rakoczy is also conducting research into gene therapy as a treatment for diabetic retinopathy - one of the most severe complications of diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in people aged 20 to 74 and is particularly common in those with Type 1 diabetes. Professor Rakoczy's research will identify new genes that may provide treatments for diabetic retinopathy and develop animal models for formulating and testing these treatments.

This new research is an exciting development for the 140,000 Australians currently living with Type 1 diabetes who face a risk of blindness 25 times higher than the general population.

For further information:

Karolyn Andrews, Media & PR Manager, JDRF
Ph. 02 9966 0400 (x203) or 0403 787 077 | email: kandrews@jdrf.org.au

About JDRF:

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the world's largest not-for-profit supporter of diabetes research, investing $130 million in the search to find a cure for type 1 diabetes each year. JDRF was founded in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, a disease which strikes people suddenly, makes them dependent on multiple daily injections of insulin to survive and at risk of devastating health complications like blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and amputation.