Season 2, Episode 7: Elfride De Baere

In this episode of the In Focus podcast, Retina International CEO Avril Daly speaks with Elfride De Baere about the importance of receiving a genetic diagnosis for IRDs. Elfride De Baere, MD, PhD, is currently Professor of Ophthalmic Genetics at Ghent University, clinical geneticist at the Center for Medical Genetics, Ghent University Hospital and Senior Clinical Investigator of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO). Her research areas of interest are the genomic and pathophysiological basis of inherited retinal diseases; developmental genetics and gene regulation; and clinical and functional genomics. She is the coordinator of several European research consortia and member of the European Retinal Disease Consortium (ERDC) and the European Reference Network for Rare Eye Diseases (ERN-EYE). Elfride serves/ on the scientific program committee of ARVO and ESHG and is on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Foundation Fighting Blindness. In this episode, Avril and Elfride discuss the importance of genetic testing for IRDs from the perspective of research. Elfride tells us of the benefits of receiving a genetic diagnosis for retinal patients and their families, as well as the challenges that people in different regions face in accessibility. They close the episode by discussing what gives them hope for the future of genetic testing, including electronic platforms, educational programs, international registries, and more.