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Stone & Sheffield on Genetic Eye Tests in Wall Street Journal
The August 29, 2003, Wall Street Journal carries an article under
the "Science Journal" heading about Drs. Ed Stone and Val Sheffield
and their efforts to make genetic eye tests more generally available.
The article by Ron Winslow, on the front page of the "Marketplace" section,
is entitled "Researchers Have Plan for Genetic Eye Tests Ignored by Industry."
Tests for rare, but potentially blinding,
genetic disorders are not commercially feasible for large industry because
the potential market is too small to make the effort profitable. However,
rare diseases affect more people than one would think. Dr. Stone estimates
that collectively, the approximately 6,000 rare diseases affect nearly
1 in 10 Americans.
Dr. Stone, with colleague Dr. Val C. Sheffield,
has been running gene tests on their eye patients for a decade as part
of their research. While there are no cures yet, gene tests still offer
useful information to patients with potentially blinding disorders who
can use the information to make smart decisions about the future.
Drs. Stone and Sheffield offer genetic
testing as a clinical service at the University of Iowa rather than as
a research project. There is one vital stipulation; no one -- neither
the University nor the gene patent owner -- can make a profit from the
tests. Their goal is to offer, at cost, tests for about 20 different genes
-- test costs range from $160 to $960. This should keep testing within
the financial reach of most patients.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness stresses
that genetic tests are crucial to clinical trials for new therapies --
both drug- and gene-based -- that may lead to the cure of some forms of
blindness.
See the complete article and the effect
of patent ownership on genetic testing on page B-1 of the August 29, 2003, Wall Street Journal. Information about the Carver Laboratory
for Molecular Diagnosis is available at http://www.carverlab.org.
