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Ph.D. Student Fights for Sight Amid Research Cuts

6/25/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Jessica Chaikof, a determined Ph.D. student, faces the heartbreaking prospect of losing her sight to Usher syndrome Type 1F, a genetic disorder that brings both deafness and blindness. With funding cuts to NIH grants under the Trump administration threatening vital gene therapy research at Harvard, she passionately calls for renewed support to advance treatments for rare diseases.

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Story summary

Jessica Chaikof, a determined Ph.D. student, faces the heartbreaking prospect of losing her sight to Usher syndrome Type 1F, a genetic disorder that brings both deafness and blindness. With funding cuts to NIH grants under the Trump administration threatening vital gene therapy research at Harvard, she passionately calls for renewed support to advance treatments for rare diseases.