Achievements
Stickler Syndrome research
For several years, Dr. Cynthia Qian, a clinical researcher in ophthalmology at Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, has been investigating Stickler syndrome.
What is the Stickler syndrome?
What is the Stickler syndrome?It's a genetic disorder that can affect all the senses. Her research is crucial to preventing sudden vision loss in patients.
According to Dr. Qian, “more people have this syndrome than you would think,” which is why it is vital that we investigate it. One of the lines of her research focuses on being able to better estimate the number of patients potentially affected by the disease here in Quebec.
often-irreversible vision loss that comes with retinal detachment..Dr. Cynthia Qian
While Stickler syndrome is identified very early in some people, others have no obvious symptoms until one day, out of the blue, a symptom such as retinal detachment suddenly occurs. Dr. Qian took an interest in this disorder because she wanted to prevent these problems—after all, no one wants to lose their sight.
Thanks to the generosity of the Fonds Fondation Paul-A. Fournier, Dr. Qian was able to put together a research team, find collaborators and fund innovative tests. Once better described and better known, Stickler syndrome could be detected more quickly in patients.
Knowing that they have the support of donors motivates researchers like Dr. Qian to make good on their trust by producing tangible results for the benefit of patients.
About Dr. Cynthia Qian
Passionate about ophthalmology for many years, Dr. Cynthia Qian is an ophthalmic surgeon at HMR since 2015. The clinical researcher is also recognized for its work in gene therapy.