In 1991, Petters and Wong began to create a transgenic pig model in order to prove Wong's theory and fulfill his expectations. In 1996, some of these pigs had been produced and they, as Wong had expected, manifested many human-like characteristics. Our chance of reaching this goal will be greatly enhanced if we form a coalition of top notch scientists who represent the best minds in RP research to study our model. To that end, in addition to scientists from North Carolina, at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the present team of scientists joining Wong in the quest for an effective RP therapy are from Pennsylvania, Washington, Alabama, and, half way around the globe, Hong Kong. Three pharmaceutical companies, including one from Japan, have also joined this coalition.
Therapeutic research is the most expensive kind.
In addition to the support by the National Eye Institute, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, and Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., we need the involvement of the private sector, including philanthropy and, of course, the patients. Pausing for a moment to reflect, Wong shares that he believes his goals are now somewhat different than they were when he first started out twenty years ago. His goals were pure-science oriented. Pursuit of excellence meant seeking knowledge for knowledge's sake. Now his vision has broadened and his professional goals are much more people-centered with the focus on finding more immediate solutions to benefit the patient.