Asper Biogene – genetic testing company

Autosomal Recessive Retinitis Pigmentosa
NGS panel

Sequencing of the RPE65 gene

Deletion/duplication analysis

Indications for genetic testing:

1. Confirmation of clinical diagnosis
2. Carrier testing for at-risk family members
3. Genetic counseling
4. Prenatal diagnosis for known familial mutation

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal dystrophy caused by the loss of photoreceptors and characterized by retinal pigment deposits visible on fundus examination. Affected individuals first experience night blindness, followed by reduction of the peripheral visual field and, sometimes, loss of central vision late in the course of the disease which eventually leads to blindness after several decades. Signs and symptoms often first appear in childhood, but severe visual problems do not usually develop until early adulthood. In some cases, RP is characterized by cone-rod dystrophy, in which the decrease in visual acuity predominates over loss of the visual field. RP is usually non-syndromic but there are also many syndromic forms. The main risk factor is a family history of retinitis pigmentosa.

Thyroid Dyshormonogenesis
NGS panel

Deletion/duplication analysis

Leber Congenital Amaurosis
NGS panel

Deletion/duplication analysis

Indications for genetic testing:
1. Confirmation of clinical diagnosis
2. Prediction of disease progression
3. Carrier testing for at-risk family members
4. Genetic counseling
5. Prenatal diagnosis for known familial mutation

Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is an early-onset and severe retinal dystrophy leading to congenital blindness. It is diagnosed by a severely reduced or absent electroretinogram (ERG) before one year of age. Shortly after birth, patients usually manifest poor fixation, nystagmus, photophobia, and amaurotic pupils. Later, in most patients, a large variety of retinal changes appear, including salt-and-pepper pigmentation, attenuated vessels, and atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). LCA is mostly inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder.

Stargardt Disease
NGS panel

Sequencing of the ABCA4 gene

Deletion/duplication analysis of the ABCA4 gene

Indications for genetic testing:

1. Confirmation of clinical diagnosis
2. Carrier testing for at-risk family members
3. Genetic counseling
4. Prenatal diagnosis for known familial mutation

Autosomal recessive Stargardt disease is a juvenile-onset macular dystrophy associated with rapid central visual impairment, progressive bilateral atrophy of the foveal retinal pigment epithelium, and the frequent appearance of yellowish flecks around the macula and/or in the central and near-peripheral areas of the retina.

Usher Syndrome
NGS panel

Deletion/duplication analysis

Indications for genetic testing:

1. Confirmation of clinical diagnosis
2. Carrier testing for at-risk family members
3. Genetic counseling
4. Prenatal diagnosis for known familial mutation

Usher syndrome is a combination of retinitis pigmentosa and sensorineural hearing loss with or without vestibular dysfunction. Usher syndrome represents 50% of all cases with deafness and blindness. Usher syndrome is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. Three major clinical types can be distinguished. Usher syndrome type I (USH1) is characterized by severe to profound congenital hearing loss, RP and vestibular areflexia. Patients with Usher syndrome type II (USH2) have moderate to severe hearing loss, RP and normal or variable vestibular function. Patients with Usher syndrome type III (USH3) have progressive hearing loss, RP and variable vestibular function.

Vitelliform Macular Dystrophy
NGS panel

Sequencing of the BEST1 gene

Deletion/duplication analysis

Indications for genetic testing:

1. Confirmation of clinical diagnosis
2. Genetic counseling
3. Prenatal diagnosis for known familial mutation

Vitelliform macular dystrophy is an autosomal dominant disorder associated with a vitelliform “egg yolk” lesion that results from abnormal accumulation of lipofuscin in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Lesions are usually bilateral, but can be unilateral. In the early stages, accumulation of lipofuscin-like material in the RPE is observed but acuity remains excellent. Later, the affected area becomes deeply and irregularly pigmented, and as the disorder is progressive, it eventually leads to vision loss. Some cases exhibit multiple extramacular lesions, hemorrhaging, or macular holes. Vitelliform macular dystrophy generally reveals itself in childhood or sometimes later during the teenage years. Severity of vision loss and age of onset exhibit inter- and intra-familial variability.

X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa
NGS panel

Targeted regions sequencing

Sequencing of ORF15 region (RPGR gene)

Deletion/duplication analysis

Indications for genetic testing:

1. Confirmation of clinical diagnosis
2. Determination of female carriers
3. Genetic counseling

Genetic testing for x-linked retinitis pigmentosa is preferred in the male patients/families with nonsyndromic retinitis pigmentosa and with family history of x-linked retinitis pigmentosa.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited retinal dystrophy caused by the loss of photoreceptors and characterized by retinal pigment deposits visible on fundus examination. Affected individuals first experience night blindness, followed by reduction of the peripheral visual field and, sometimes, loss of central vision late in the course of the disease and eventually leading to blindness after several decades. Signs and symptoms often first appear in childhood, but severe visual problems do not usually develop until early adulthood. In some cases, RP is characterized by cone-rod dystrophy, in which the decrease in visual acuity predominates over the visual field loss. RP is usually nonsyndromic but there are also many syndromic forms. The main risk factor is a family history of retinitis pigmentosa.