Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee and Boston Celtics CEO and co-owner Wyc Grousbeck each have a child with LCA and together, are spearheading the effort with support from the Chicago Cubs, the Boston Celtics, the Foundation for Retinal Research, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, and the John and Marcia Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Lab at The University of Iowa.

Recently, USA Today featured a story about Lee, whose daughter has LCA, describing the Lee family's trip to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

In addition, Lions Clubs of Iowa and other volunteers are participating. Nearly 650 Americans with LCA already are known, leaving approximately 2,350 people in the nation yet to be identified. The Project 3000 initiative goals are to provide hope for those with LCA, to give them accurate information about their condition, to find the remaining LCA genes (10 are identified), and, eventually, to find cures and make genetic testing the standard of care for LCA.

Edwin Stone, MD, PhD, UI professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, said, "This is the first program of its kind to offer genetic testing for any eye disease to every affected person in the country. Project 3000, likely will achieve its first objective and become the 'blueprint' recipe for attacking dozens of other sight-robbing diseases."

The project is based at the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Partnering with the Carver Nonprofit Genetic Testing Laboratory is the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, a joint research unit of the UI College of Engineering and UI Carver College of Medicine.

Families affected by LCA can register online to participate. Or, families can call 866-495-CURE (2873).

For more information:

USA Today

Feature story: Lee puts family, charity and baseball in perspective

Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine

Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology