Year 4

In this fourth year, we have turned our attention on ageing and susceptibility to disease. As defined by the name, age-related macular degeneration occurs in old rather than the young. As such, we need to know why the eye and in particular those cells that support healthy vision deteriorate over time. Over the past year, we have identified that the cellular fingerprint of those eye cells begins to decline. This results in a less able functional cell. Our aim is to reduce this decline by slowing or inhibiting cellular changes seen in aging.
Second, we have been involved with the London Project to Cure Blindness in which two patients were implanted with new support cells which were made from stem cells and delivered on an artificial substrate. These patients will be followed over the next 6-12months for any visual recovery.