Retinal Implants, Ocular Gene Therapy, and the Importance of Genetic Testing for Inherited Retinal Dystrophies – Dr. Flavio Rezende
In this episode, Dr. Flavio Rezende explores the current state of affairs for retinal implants in Canada and worldwide, highlighting some of the benefits and limitations of the technology.
Dr. Rezende further provides an overview of gene therapy for inherited retinal dystrophies, explaining why such treatments seem to advance slowly and how the recent pandemic and improved access to genetic testing may accelerate the development of additional sight-saving ocular gene therapies.
About the Guest:
Associate Professor at Department of Ophthalmology, University of Montreal
Dr Rezende was the first surgeon to perform a retinal implant surgery in Quebec, Canada. His entrepreneurial spirit, experience and expertise fuel the design of a simple, fast and safe surgery for the Diamond Eye. Dr Rezende is the Chief of Retinal Service at the Department of Ophthalmology at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal and Associate Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology at University of Montreal. He has co-published more than 50 books, papers, and abstracts on retinal surgery and has won many awards, including five American Society of Retinal Surgeons awards and the Retina Foundation of Canada award for the Diamond Eye surgical design. Dr. Rezende has experience with a dozen clinical trials and research projects.
Very interesting, the evolution and shift in research from the bionic eye to gene therapy testing. We should bring more research back to Canada, because we have specialists like Dr. Rezende that have this valuable input. Spreading the word for gene testing for eye diseases is something that should be talked about more, and this podcast is a great way to encourage this. Great job BroadEye!