Kang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D. is Professor of Ophthalmology and Chief of Ophthalmic Genetics at the University of California, San Diego. His clinical and research focuses are on novel disease gene targets and treatments, and gene- and stem cell-based therapies in age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and inherited retinal degeneration. The Kang Zhang Laboratory is using genetics to gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of macular degeneration and other eye diseases. Through a combination of clinical and laboratory research, novel genes have been identified and rapid progress toward understanding the genetics of blindness is being made.