prof. dr. Frans Cremers

About Frans Cremers

Prof. Frans Cremers is head of the Blindness Genetics workgroup of the Department of Human Genetics and coordinator of the Foundation Fighting Blindness research program entitled ‘Splice Modulation to Treat Inherited Retinal Diseases’. He and his team members discovered >30 genes implicated in inherited retinal dystrophy (IRDs) and vitreoretinopathies. In the last years Dr. Cremers is focusing on the identification and functional analysis of deep-intronic variants, with a special interest in Stargardt disease due to mutations in ABCA4. He successfully employed stem cell technology to identify retina-specific splicing defects. His future studies also aim to identify modifiers of IRDs. These studies are essential for accurate diagnoses and genetic counseling of IRDs, and lays the foundation for the successful application of new therapies.

Education

• 1972-1978 Secondary school (Atheneum beta, Episcopal College, Sittard)
• 1978-1984 University (Biology, University Nijmegen)
• 1991 PhD (Catholic University of Nijmegen, cum laude). Promoters: Prof. H.H. Ropers and Prof. B. Wieringa. Title thesis: Positional cloning or a candidate gene for choroideremia
• 1991-1996 Fellow Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences
• 1992-1993 University of Texas, Southwestern Medical School (Dallas, Texas)

Personal prizes & awards

• Ed Golob Board of Directors Award (2020)
• Retina International Lifetime Achievement Award (2021)
• 'Student Award 'in the category' predoctoral basis' or the American Society of Human Genetics (1990 Cincinnati, USA)
• Retinitis Pigmentosa Award for the Prevention of Blindness (1990, Essen, Germany)
• The first European Vision Award (2007)
• Principal Lecturer star (2010)
• Internationalisations Award (UMC St Radboud (2010)

Additional Functions

• Member of the VIDI committee of ZonMw (2009-2013)
• Coordinator and board member of the RD5000 consortium (2010 - 2015)
• Coordinator of the European Retinal Disease Consortium (2009 - 2017)
• Director of the Foundation Fighting Blindness USA Center Grant and PPA Nijmegen (2011 - 2022)
• Member of the exam committee of Molecular Mechanisms of Disease (2011-2014)
• Chairman of the Radboudumc Study Fund (2012 - 2015)