Recent progress in molecular genetics and gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a common genetic eye disease affecting about 1 in 3500 people worldwide with pan-ethnic occurrence. So far there is no effective treatment for RP. This paper gives an overview on recent advances in molecular genetics of RP with emphasis on the important gene mutations for diagnosis and prognosis, and a review on gene therapy of RP.(Chin J Ophthalmol,2005,41:188-192)