Publications by authors named "Bart P Leroy"

Article Synopsis
  • The study aims to evaluate how functional and structural assessments can serve as endpoints in clinical trials for retinal degeneration linked to USH2A mutations.
  • Participants with specific visual capabilities underwent various eye tests over four years, focusing on understanding changes in their vision.
  • Findings indicated that certain tests were more sensitive to detecting changes, influencing the design of future clinical trials related to this condition.
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This study aims to describe the ophthalmic characteristics of autosomal dominant (AD) WFS1-associated optic atrophy (AD WFS1-OA), and to explore phenotypic differences with dominant optic atrophy (DOA) caused by mutations in the OPA1-gene. WFS1-associated diseases, or 'wolframinopathies', exhibit a spectrum of ocular and systemic phenotypes, of which the autosomal recessive Wolfram syndrome has been the most extensively studied. AD mutations in WFS1 also cause various phenotypical changes including OA.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Germline mosaicism is a rare genetic mechanism that can complicate the diagnosis and counseling of autosomal recessive disorders, specifically highlighted in two families with PXE (Pseudoxanthoma elasticum) where a paternal whole-gene deletion was detected.
  • - One family demonstrated clinical issues associated with PXE, showing retinopathy in a parent who only seemed to carry one copy of the mutated gene (heterozygous), raising challenges in understanding the inheritance patterns.
  • - A review of additional cases revealed 16 more patients with gonadal mosaicism, suggesting it might be underreported, highlighting the importance of variant verification in parents and siblings of affected individuals for accurate genetic counseling and management.
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Purpose: Evaluating the presence of class 3, 4, and 5 genetic variants in inherited retinal disease (IRD) genes in patients with retinopathy of unknown origin (RUO).

Methods: Multicentric retrospective study of RUO cases diagnosed between January 2012 and February 2022. General and ophthalmologic history, complete ophthalmologic examination, antiretinal antibodies, and IRD gene panel results were analyzed in every patient.

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A multi-stakeholder, patient centric approach will be critical to the design of future successful clinical trials with outcome measures relevant to the RDH12-IRD population.

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Four European Reference Networks (ERN-EYE, ERKNet, Endo-ERN, ERN-ITHACA) have teamed up to establish a consensus statement and recommendations for Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS). BBS is an autosomal recessive ciliopathy with at least 26 genes identified to date. The clinical manifestations are pleiotropic, can be observed in utero and will progress with age.

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Article Synopsis
  • Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is a genetic eye condition often linked to high myopia, which can lead to serious retinal issues, making understanding myopic progression crucial for potential treatments.
  • The study analyzed cases of CSNB associated with specific genetic variants in patients under 18 who had multiple eye measurements, using a mixed-effect model to track changes in myopia over time.
  • Results showed that individuals with CSNB are significantly myopic from birth and continue to experience worsening myopia as they grow, suggesting they may benefit from treatments aimed at slowing down myopia progression.
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Article Synopsis
  • This project aimed to investigate the standards of genetic testing and counseling for patients with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) in select European countries, focusing on expert opinions about current challenges and potential improvements in patient care.
  • A survey was distributed to professionals across ten European nations, gathering data on the prevalence of genetic testing and counseling practices.
  • Results showed that while genetic tests are common and largely funded by public health services, many IRD patients still lack adequate testing and counseling, highlighting the need for better education for healthcare providers, improved access to advanced testing, and more genetic counselors.
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Background: Vision has a key role in children's neuromotor, cognitive and social development. Children with visual impairment attain developmental milestones at later stages and are at higher risk of developing psychological disorders and social withdrawn.

Aims: We performed a scoping review to summarize the mostly used instruments assessing the impact of visual impairment on quality of life, functioning and participation of children and adolescents.

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Article Synopsis
  • Gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina (GACR) is a genetic disorder that causes progressive eye degeneration and significant vision loss, highlighting the importance of understanding its clinical characteristics for future treatments.
  • A study of 19 patients showed an early onset of eye symptoms, with many requiring cataract surgery by their late twenties, and demonstrated a link between early dietary protein restriction and improved outcomes in some cases.
  • The findings stress the severe nature of GACR, including complications like severe myopia and cystoid maculopathy, underlining the need for early diagnosis to facilitate timely interventions and improve patient quality of life.
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Purpose: To investigate the anterior scleral thickness (AST) in patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS).

Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, including patients with a genetically confirmed clinical diagnosis of MFS and age-, gender- and axial length-matched controls. Subjects with known corneal, conjunctival or scleral pathology and a history of ocular surgery, including pars plana vitrectomy, recent contact lens use or high-grade astigmatism were excluded.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Bi-allelic mutations in SAMD7 cause autosomal-recessive macular dystrophy, with some mutations impacting splicing and others affecting its role in repressing CRX-dependent gene activity.
  • * SAMD7 is found in the nuclei of retinal rod and cone cells, highlighting its important role in human retinal function and suggesting differences in the function of SAMD7 between humans and mice.
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Voretigene neparvovec (VN) is the first available gene therapy for patients with biallelic -mediated inherited retinal dystrophy who have sufficient viable retinal cells. PERCEIVE is an ongoing, post-authorization, prospective, multicenter, registry-based observational study and is the largest study assessing the real-world, long-term safety and effectiveness of VN. Here, we present the outcomes of 103 patients treated with VN according to local prescribing information.

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Background: 5' untranslated regions (5'UTRs) are essential modulators of protein translation. Predicting the impact of 5'UTR variants is challenging and rarely performed in routine diagnostics. Here, we present a combined approach of a comprehensive prioritization strategy and functional assays to evaluate 5'UTR variation in two large cohorts of patients with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs).

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Purpose: To date, there is no standard treatment regimen for carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs) in X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS) patients. This retrospective study aims to evaluate the efficacy of CAIs on visual acuity and cystoid fluid collections (CFC) in XRLS patients in Dutch and Belgian tertiary referral centers.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

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Objective: To describe a cohort of paediatric patients who underwent unilateral or bilateral lens extractions at Ghent University hospital using the Dutch Ophthalmic Research Center (D.O.R.

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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) are two groups of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) where the rod photoreceptors degenerate followed by the cone photoreceptors of the retina. A genetic diagnosis for IRDs is challenging since >280 genes are associated with these conditions. While whole exome sequencing (WES) is commonly used by diagnostic facilities, the costs and required infrastructure prevent its global applicability.

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Purpose: To evaluate the safety profile of lenadogene nolparvovec (Lumevoq) in patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy.

Design: Pooled analysis of safety data from 5 clinical studies.

Methods: A total of 189 patients received single unilateral or bilateral intravitreal injections of a recombinant adeno-associated virus 2 (rAAV2/2) vector encoding the human wild-type ND4 gene.

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Background: Congenital Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB) constitutes a group of non-progressive retinal disorders characterized by disturbances in scotopic vision and/or by a delay in adaptation to darkness, as well as by low visual acuity, myopia, nystagmus, and strabismus. Color vision and fundus appearance tend to be normal. To date, several CACNA1F gene variants have been linked to a CSNB phenotype but only few reports have focused on the optic nerve in this disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aims to describe the eye-related characteristics of patients with Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), specifically focusing on the yellow-white lesions seen in about 30% of them.
  • - Five patients underwent detailed eye exams, including tests assessing visual function and advanced imaging techniques to identify retinal abnormalities and the condition of photoreceptors.
  • - The findings suggest that the yellow-white lesions may represent degenerated photoreceptor segments, providing insights that could help develop future genetic treatments for LCA.
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Article Synopsis
  • Lenadogene nolparvovec is a novel gene therapy showing significant promise for improving visual acuity in patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) who have the m.11778G>A ND4 mutation, with updated data increasing the number of treated patients from 76 to 174.
  • The therapy was compared against an external control group and resulted in a mean improvement in visual acuity of -0.30 logMAR, which is equivalent to +15 ETDRS letters, showing clinically relevant and sustained benefits over a follow-up period of up to 3.9 years.
  • Results indicate that most treated eyes retained measurable vision compared to less than half of those in the natural history group, and a
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Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous group of genetic eye disorders. There are more than 300 disease entities, and together this group of disorders affects millions of people globally and is a frequent cause of blindness or low-vision certification. However, each type is rare or ultra-rare.

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Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is an important example of mitochondrial blindness with the m.11778G>A mutation in the MT-ND4 gene being the most common disease-causing mtDNA variant worldwide. The REFLECT phase 3 pivotal study is a randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy and safety of bilateral intravitreal injection of lenadogene nolparvovec in patients with a confirmed m.

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