Riley has had a question mark over his future since he was 11. That’s when he was diagnosed at the Lions Eye Institute with an eye condition called retinis pigmentosa. “Riley might lose his vision quickly, and we don’t know when or if that will happen. The uncertainty of it is scary.” says his mum, Kelly.
Regular visits to one of our clinician researchers, Dr Fred Chen, are giving Riley and his family new hope. Thanks to our generous supporters, Dr Chen and his team have created cell “banks” that could hold the answers to Riley’s urgent needs.
Millions of cells have been grown from small pieces of patients’ skin with inherited eye diseases like Riley. Researchers use these skin cells to derive stem cells that are used to create a replica of a person’s retina, complete with genetic errors that are damaging their eyes.
Dr Chen now knows exactly which mutations Riley has, and he is constantly working to find potential treatments to slow down the degeneration.
Any delay in Dr Chen’s work could mean less of Riley’s sight being saved. There is no telling how fast Riley’s vision will deteriorate.
Your support helps advance our research into the cause of eye disease. Riley’s clock is ticking, please help save his sight today.