UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE DISCOVERY

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That this House recognises the work of researchers at the University of Dundee who have identified a key mechanism that damages the cornea in Meesmann epithelial corneal dystrophy, a rare blinding disorder which is passed from parents to their children; notes the collaboration of scientists at the University of Dundee, University of Ulster and colleagues in Denmark who have discovered that faults in a gene that is responsible for corneal cell structure and stability lead to protein misfolding and cell death; commends Fight for Sight, Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council whose funding in the UK has made this discovery possible; and welcomes this crucial evidence which is a key factor in determining whether gene or stem cell therapies can be developed.