A scientific breakthrough in the United States has been welcomed by a Bradford family who say it paves the way for new treatment for their son, born with a rare genetic disorder.

Seven-year-old Aidan Flood has Nail Patella Syndrome (NPS), which affects just one in 50,000 people.

It means he has club feet, no kneecaps and no thumbnails, and is at risk of developing glaucoma and kidney problems in later life. He needs splints on his legs to walk and regular check ups at St Luke's Hospital.

Aidan, an enthusiastic and promising pupil at St Mary's Primary School, copes well at the moment but the whole family has been backing research in the US because of fears that his condition could get worse as he grows up.

Parents Helena and Alan have been co-operating with American academics and submitted blood samples in a bid to isolate the faulty gene responsible - and now a research team at the Baylor College of Medicine in Austin, Texas, has cracked it.

"They have nailed the gene, called LMX1B. We are very pleased," said Aidan's mother Helena, 30, of Wingfield Street, Barkerend. "Until they located the gene there was no question of any treatment or cure. This is really good news. We will now be taking part in more research with the Texas people and sending more blood samples out.

"What they will be able to do now is to offer screening for Nail Patella Syndrome when women are ten weeks pregnant - although people like myself who have no history of it in their families will not necessarily think to ask for it. We also need to raise awareness of the syndrome.

"Aidan can cope but the big worry for us is that he could get glaucoma or kidney failure in later life. Now they have located the gene we hope they may be able to do something about that."

Aidan's brother Christopher, three, and sister Emma, ten, do not have NPS.

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