‘It means everything’: How Melbourne scientists are fighting to save Poppy’s sight
Melbourne researchers are developing a gene therapy treatment called EDITRA to address Usher syndrome, a condition causing deafblindness in children. The project aims to correct genetic mutations that are currently too large for standard gene therapy applications.
Why it matters
This research offers potential hope for children with rare genetic conditions that were previously considered untreatable due to technical limitations.
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Share A A A Melbourne Assembly brings together the people, ideas and conversations shaping the future of our city. See all stories . When Poppy Stevens was just a few months old, she received a devastating diagnosis.
After failing her newborn hearing test, genetic testing confirmed the little girl had Usher syndrome, which meant she might also lose her vision.
Poppy Stevens and her mother Ali. Poppy, 5, has a faulty gene too big for gene therapy. Ben Jones “It was a second wave of devastation,” reflects her mother Ali Stevens, who lives in Melbourne’s south-east.
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