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Posted on Jan 30, 2004, 6 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
In a medical first, a New York hospital has screened embryos for a gene linked to a form of eye cancer, leading to the birth of two healthy children - who, in turn, won't have to worry about passing the disease gene on to their offspring. The son and daughter of Larry and Anne Zimmerman of Manhattan are free of retinoblastoma, a pediatric disease characterized by tumors on the retina that can lead to blindness, loss of eyes and, in some cases, death.
In a medical first, a New York hospital has screened embryos for a gene linked to a form of eye cancer, leading to the birth of two healthy children - who, in turn, won't have to worry about passing the disease gene on to their offspring. The son and daughter of Larry and Anne Zimmerman of Manhattan are free of retinoblastoma, a pediatric disease characterized by tumors on the retina that can lead to blindness, loss of eyes and, in some cases, death. Larry Zimmerman, an investment banker, was born with the disease, which was treated with radiation and laser therapy when he was an infant. He remains virtually blind in his right eye.
[Editor: The preceding article was not written by A4M/WHN]
