Our research priority pillars represent the questions we ask which drive our science. The expertise domains support these questions and provide us with new ways to combine our strengths. The creation of nodes at the cross sections of these interactions allows new ways for us to dock into each other. It provides a framework where everyone feels understood and at home, and supports our ambitions individually, collectively and collaboratively.
We will harness rapidly developing multi-omic technologies, new disease models, cutting-edge imaging technology, big data sets and AI to understand how the eye works in health and disease so that we can identify new disease targets and therapies. Collaboration is key to exploiting the unique properties of the eye as a window on the brain, the vasculature and inflammation.
Research priority pillars
Visual Neuroscience
Vision starts with neural computation. By exploring how the retina, brain, and behaviour interact, we reveal the mechanics of perception and their impact on patients.
Disease Mechanisms
Taking a patient-first approach is essential for understanding and treating diseases. Real-world patient data can provide valuable insights to guide research into disease mechanisms
Ocular Development and Ageing
Exploring how a healthy eye is built during development, and how it is then maintained all the way through life, is crucial for our understanding of the pathogenesis of many blinding diseases.
Genomic and Translational Medicine
Through prioritising and integrating leading clinical expertise with cutting-edge genomic science and medicine, we will serve as an innovation hub for cross-disciplinary translational eye research.
Strategic Research Pillars’ Leads
Leading our four Research Priority Pillars, the Strategic Research Leads will champion our mission and vision, driving impact through collaboration across pillars and cross-cutting Expertise Domains. Our Strategic Research Pillars’ Leads are:
- Dr Matteo Rizzi and Dr Tessa Dekker, Visual Neuroscience
- Dr Ryan MacDonald, Ocular Development and Ageing
- Professor Mike Cheetham, Disease Mechanisms
- Dr Amanda Carr, Genomic and Translational Medicine
The close collaboration between laboratories and the clinic fosters a truly unique environment, providing an unparalleled opportunity for students. By bridging research and patient care, this dynamic setting nurtures well-rounded, multidisciplinary expertise, equipping future talent with the skills and insight needed to drive innovation in ophthalmology.
Our aim is to understand the neurological, perceptual, and real-life aspects of vision. Integrating a diversity of expertise, the new technologies we develop and the bridges we build across fundamental insight and clinical application, enable breakthroughs in understanding of how we see, eye disease, and new sight rescue treatments.
Exploring how a healthy eye is built during development, and how it is then maintained all the way through life, is crucial for our understanding of the pathogenesis of many blinding diseases. By coming together to explore the eye throughout the entirety of life we aim to determine the cellular and molecular factors that drive degeneration and dysfunction with the expressed goal of manipulating these to protect or restore vision.
Understanding how disease affects fundamental cellular pathways is essential to develop targeted treatments. We will build on our diverse expertise in retinal cell biology, ocular inflammation and tissue homeostasis to drive forward new understanding of disease mechanisms that can be applied to deliver new and improved therapies.
Our expertise in disease models and therapeutics drives discovery and translational science, accelerating the development of innovative treatments for vision loss. By integrating advanced models and cutting-edge technologies, we can gain deeper insights into disease mechanisms and reveal new opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
Expertise Domains
Delivering groundbreaking research and transformational clinical solutions.