Using RNA Therapies to Target Inherited Retinal Diseases

Daniel de Boer became a biotech executive after his son was diagnosed with the genetic respiratory disease cystic fibrosis. He founded ProQR Therapeutics with an initial focus on developing RNA therapies to treat cystic fibrosis, but the company has since turned its attention to a group of rare, inherited retinal diseases that cause blindness. We spoke to de Boer, CEO of ProQR, about the evolution of ProQR, its pipeline of antisense oligonucleotide therapies, and the advantage of this approach in treating rare eye diseases.