Dr. Duncan's research focuses on the use of adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy to probe rod and cone photoreceptor function in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa. As Director of the Retinal Degenerations Clinic and Retinal Electrophysiology Laboratory at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Dr. Duncan has 13 years of experience characterizing patients with inherited retinal degenerations.
She has served as the clinic director for 4 multicenter clinical trials at UCSF, including a Phase 1 trial of an epiretinal prosthetic device to restore visual perception in patients with advanced retinal degeneration, and two Phase 2 studies of sustained-release ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in patients with inherited retinal degenerations. The Retinal Degenerations Clinic at UCSF serves as a referral center for patients with inherited retinal degenerations for northern California with a database of over 900 patients, including 315 with retinitis pigmentosa.
Her prior research included high-resolution imaging techniques to visualize photoreceptors non-invasively in living eyes with inherited retinal degenerations. Over the past 8 years she has worked closely in collaboration with Austin Roorda, PhD, to characterize cone structure non-invasively in living eyes using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy. The aims of the BCSDP program would fit in well with this research program.