Center for Hereditary Retinal Degenerations
Our Center aims to provide better sight for people living with inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) such as retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, Leber congenital amaurosis, blue cone monochromacy, choroideremia and many others. Co-director Dr. Aleman provides clinical care to IRD patients who carry the burden of progressive vision loss that is currently not treatable. Co-directors Dr. Cideciyan and Dr. Aleman perform world-class research in clinical trials and in the laboratory to make progress towards treatments.
New 2026 Publication
As part of an international research collaboration between CHRD and medical centers in Bonn, Edinburgh, Basel, and Prague, we have identified a previously unrecognized form of inherited retinal degeneration caused by a rare genetic variant in the EFEMP1 gene.
Stanton CM, Ansari G, Pfau K, Lipsky T, Halachev M, Gerasimavicius L, Drake C, Marsh JA, Hayward C, Sumaroka A, Kousal B, Lišková P, Quinodoz M, Rivolta C, Aleman TS, Cideciyan AV, Pfau M. Widening the spectrum of disease expression due to heterozygous variants in EFEMP1. JAMA Ophthalmology, 2026. [DOI]
Latest Press Releases
- New genetic variant linked to previously unrecognized retinal disease Thursday, September 10, 2026