Bryn Mawr dog that helped reverse inherited form of blindness in humans dies at 12

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Venus Bennett, a Swedish briard adopted by a Bryn Mawr couple who helped reverse an inherited form of blindness in humans, has died aged 12. (Image via The Inquirer)

Venus Bennett, a Swedish briard who was adopted by a Bryn Mawr couple and helped reverse an inherited form of blindness in humans, has died aged 12, writes Mari A. Schaefer for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Venus was born with Leber’s congenital amaurosis, a condition caused by a mutation of the RPE65 gene which primarily affects the retina. While relatively rare, with just 3,500 cases in United States and Europe, this condition is one of the most common causes of blindness in children.

The Bryn Mawr pooch was one of six dogs that partook in an experimental gene therapy treatment at the University of Pennsylvania. The treatment proved successful and safe for dogs, allowing for clinical trials in humans to start in 2007.

Jean Bennett, a University of Pennsylvania ophthalmologist and researcher, along with her husband, Albert Maguire, a Penn ophthalmologist and CHOP physician, performed animal studies for the disease. After the study finished, they adopted Venus along with her pup Mercury. The pair thrived in their new home.

“She was like part of our family,” said Bennett. “She lived a pretty amazing and long life for this breed.”

Read more about Venus at The Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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