Department of Pharmaceutics Associate Professor Ed Kelly and\ngraduate student Cate Lockhart (UW PharmD, \u201913) are undaunted by the challenge\nof researching the rare blinding eye disease, Bietti\u2019s Crystalline Dystrophy\n(BCD). \u201cOnly one in 70,000 people has the disease and no one is doing basic\nresearch on BCD except our lab,\u201d Kelly said. As he\u2019s gotten to know people with\nthe disease, \u201cwhat began as a curiosity,\na \u2018What if?\u2019 has become a passion,\u201d he shared. \u201cI really want to find a\ntreatment for this disease. It\u2019s personal now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With such a low incidence rate, it is harder to get funding\nfrom traditional sources. The team instead is working directly with a patient\ndriven biotechnology company, Reflection Biotechnologies, and has received\nfunding from Institute for Translational Health Sciences (ITHS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ed Kelly\u2019s BCD research is also supported by private funding. If you would like to make a gift to support Ed\u2019s research into Bietti\u2019s Crystalline Dystrophy, click here: https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/giving\/make-a-gift\/?page=make&code=CDRSFD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n