Vision loss in both Labradors and humans caused by the “Stargardt gene”

Both dogs and humans suffer from inherited eye disease leading to vision impairment and blindness. In children and young adults, Stargardt disease is one of the most common forms of inherited retinal degenerative diseases. An international team led by researchers from SLU (The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) has now for the first time identified a mutation in the ABCA4 gene resulting in a similar disease in Labrador retriever dogs. The findings, published in PLOS Genetics, will be important for breeding healthy dogs and to develop novel treatments including gene therapy for human patients.