Retina International was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Professor Andreas Gal earlier this year, a distinguished scientist and long-standing member of our Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. His pioneering contributions to inherited retinal disease research, and his commitment to collaboration between researchers, clinicians and the patient community, leave a lasting legacy.
With the passing of Prof. Andreas Gal, research into inherited retinal diseases has lost one of its leading figures. Over the course of many decades, he played a major role in elucidating the genetic causes of diseases including retinitis pigmentosa, thereby laying foundations that remain highly significant for diagnostics and research to this day.
As a human geneticist, Prof. Gal belonged to a generation of scientists who played a decisive role in advancing the molecular genetic investigation of inherited retinal diseases. Through his work identifying and characterizing disease-causing genes, he made a significant contribution to the development of genetic diagnostics for inherited retinal diseases and helped open up new perspectives for affected families. Among other achievements, already in 1984 he was one of the first researchers to describe a disease-causing mutation in the RPE65 gene, for which the first gene therapy for a retinal dystrophy has now been available for several years.
For many years, he served on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board (WMB) for the German patient organization. In this role, Prof. Gal made a major contribution to the WMB’s funding recommendations for the PRO RETINA Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness, combining his outstanding scientific expertise with a keen sensitivity to the circumstances and needs of young researchers at the beginning of their careers.
He was also actively involved for many years in the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of Retina International. One of his particular concerns was to promote collaboration among researchers, physicians, and patient organizations and to strengthen exchange and cooperation across national borders.
His commitment was also highly regarded internationally. One visible expression of this recognition was the Retina International World Congress 2012 in Hamburg, where he served as scientific host together with Prof. Zrenner and in an outstanding partnership with our current Chair of the Board of Directors Franz Badura, who was the head of the organizing committee.
Prof. Gal always maintained a close connection with the concerns and needs of people affected by retinal degeneration. He supported Retina International’s work at numerous patient events and seminars, contributing not only his expertise and experience, but also his attentive, empathetic, and understanding approach.
With the passing of Prof. Andreas Gal, the international retinal research community and the patient self-help community have lost a scientist who accompanied and shaped the development of his field over many decades. His legacy lives on in the scientific advances he helped set in motion and in the many initiatives dedicated to people affected by inherited retinal diseases.
