Javier Ruiz-Ederra
Dr. Javier Ruiz Ederra is an Associate Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), and leads the Sensorial Neurodegeneration Research Group at Biogipuzkoa Health Research Institute (HRI), Spain. His research focuses on ocular diseases, with expertise in animal models and human genetics. From 2004 to 2009, Dr. Ruiz Ederra was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, studying aquaporins and ion channels in ocular pathology models.
Upon returning to Spain, he established a new research line on sensory neurodegeneration at Biogipuzkoa HRI. He was awarded a Miguel Servet tenure-track contract (2011–2019) by the Carlos III Health Institute. In 2019, he co-founded Miramoon Pharma S.L., a spin-off combining expertise from Biogipuzkoa HRI and UPV/EHU. Since 2021, he has served as Head of Biology at Miramoon Pharma under a Torres Quevedo contract (PTQ2019-010412), leading biological research and knowledge transfer. His work contributed to a patent application (EP22382594) and orphan drug designation from both the FDA and EMA.
Dr. Ruiz Ederra has led or co-led 21 research projects and authored 30 peer-reviewed publications, with 93% as first or corresponding author. He has supervised six doctoral theses and currently mentors three PhD students. He is active in the RETICS-Oftared network and European COST Actions DARTER and Retina4Future. His scientific excellence is recognized through the I3 Excellence in Research accreditation and certification in Human Genetics by the AEGH.
