More than 16,000 Australians live with an inherited retinal disease (IRD). One type, retinitis pigmentosa, is the leading cause of blindness in the working-age population. Currently, there are no cures or treatments.
IRDs affect adults and children alike. For most young people, vision loss is due to a ‘spelling mistake’ in the genetic code that causes cells to malfunction.
Dr Tom Edwards wants to use the infectious power of viruses to develop cures for blinding eye disease using gene therapy.
With your support, the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia is helping fund Tom’s research into new gene therapies for these conditions.
The Foundation is providing $100,000 for the project, by matching, dollar for dollar, every public donation of $500 or more, capped at $50,000.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this target has been met.
If you would still like to make a donation to Tom's research, you can do so using the online payment function in this section and, when prompted, specify ‘eye’ as the specific project you would like your donation allocated to. We will pass the donation on to Tom at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) in Melbourne.
Read more about Tom's research.