UAB Callahan Eye has been named the newest site for Spark Therapeutics’ Luxturna, the first FDA-approved gene therapy treatment for those diagnosed with Leber Congenital Amaurosis(LCA).
LCA is a retinal degenerative condition and a leading cause of genetic blindness in children. Patients with LCA start to lose their vision in the first five years of life, and it gets progressively worse as they age. Most patients are considered legally blind due to the profound vision loss it causes. One subtype is caused by an inherited mutation of both RPE65 genes. When patients have mutations in both of copies of their RPE65 gene, the normal visual cycle cannot take place, and retinal cells die over time. Luxturna uses a non-disease causing virus to deliver a normal copy of the RPE65 gene to retinal cells enabling them to make proteins capable of improving and preserving visual function.
Drs. Jason Crosson and Richard Feist Jr, of Retina Consultants of Alabama will treat patients with RPE65 LCA (also known as LCA 2) at UAB Callahan Eye. In a delicate surgical procedure that requires two surgeons, Drs. Crosson and Feist will inject Luxturna under the retina. Over the next few weeks, patients begin to notice improvements in their vision, especially in dim lighting.
“We are excited to offer patients with this debilitating condition the opportunity to see more clearly for the first time in their lives,” said Dawn DeCarlo, OD, PhD, director of the UAB Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation. “Patients in our area that were previously identified as good candidates for Luxturna have had to travel to other states to receive treatment. It is exciting that we will now not only be able to offer patients from Alabama treatment right here at UAB Callahan Eye, we will also be a destination treatment center for patients throughout the southeast.”
UAB is now one of only 14 Luxturna treatment locations in the nation, and one of the few sites in the Southeast. “Our location, in Birmingham, is an asset because of our reputation as a top national eye center and the accessibility of our city for those living in the Southeast,” said Brian Samuels, MD, PhD, interim chair for the UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. “I am extremely proud of Drs. Paul Gamlin, Dawn DeCarlo, Jason Crosson, and Richard Feist Jr, who were instrumental in UAB becoming an approved treatment center.”
“We have already been notified there are patients from Alabama and the Southeast who are interested in receiving treatment here,” said Crosson. “We look forward to meeting our new patients soon and scheduling them for treatment.”
Luxturna was developed by Spark Therapeutics. Patients interested in LUXTURNA™ should talk to their doctor to find out if this treatment is right for them or contact Spark Therapeutics at mysparkgeneration@sparktx.com or 1-833-SPARK-PS.