ABSTRACT
Mutations in pre-mRNA splicing factors are the second most common cause of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa, and a major cause of vision loss. The development of gene augmentation therapy for disease caused by mutations in PRPF31 necessitates defining pretreatment characteristics and disease progression of patients with PRPF31-related retinitis pigmentosa. We show rates of decline of visual field area −6.9% per year and 30-Hz flicker cone response of −9.2% per year, which are both similar to observed rates for retinitis pigmentosa. We hypothesize that RNA splicing factor retinitis pigmentosa will be amenable to treatment by AAV-mediated gene therapy, and that understanding the clinical progression rates of PRPF31 retinitis pigmentosa will help with the design of gene therapy clinical trials.
DECLARATION OF INTEREST
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.