ABSTRACT
Objective@#To detect pathogenic gene variants in two Chinese families with cone-rod dystrophy(CORD).@*Methods@#After the informed consent and comprehensive ophthalmic examinations for the patients, 3 mL peripheral blood was taken from the patients’ blood vessel and DNA was extracted. The DNA was sequenced by whole-exome sequencing technology and variants were analyzed.@*Results@#Two novel compound heterozygous AIPL1 variants were detected in two patients, which were c. 923T>C(p.L308P) and c. 421C>T(p.Q141X) variants in Family 1, c. 572T>C(p.L191P) and c. 421C>T(p.Q141X) in Family 2 .@*Conclusion@#The results supported that AIPL1 gene variants are the main cause of the two CORD families. Whole-exome sequencing technology is a useful tool in the clinical differentiated diagnosis and genetic counseling for CORD patients.