UCL colleagues have paid tribute to world-leading eye researcher Professor Pete Coffey, who pioneered a treatment enabling people whose vision had been destroyed by disease to see again.
Professor Pete Coffey, who sadly passed away in June 2025 after a long illness, was Professor of Visual Psychophysics at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and theme lead for Regenerative Therapy, Lasers, and Medical Devices at the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre.
He is known for leading research into a breakthrough treatment that restored sight in people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and an extensive list of accomplishments that will continue to influence future eye research and stem cell therapy.
In 2018, he made headlines with a groundbreaking clinical study of a novel treatment that he pioneered for AMD, the most common form of blindness in the UK. The treatment effectively treated the disease in two patients who had lost their sight, allowing them to see faces once more. They went from not being able to read at all, to reading 60-80 words per minute with normal reading glasses.
The ground-breaking procedure involves implanting a "patch" of stem cells over the back of the eye. To develop the therapy, Professor Coffey and his team created the cells, perfected a new surgical technique and new surgical tools to implant them, and pioneered imaging techniques to monitor their progress once in the eye.
The innovation was a milestone achievement of the London Project to Cure Blindness, which Professor Coffey had been leading since 2007 in collaboration with Professor Lyndon da Cruz, a retinal surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Professor Coffey has also received many honours and awards including the prestigious Estelle Doheny Living Tribute Award in 2009, Retinitis Pigmentosa International’s Vision Award in 2009, the CIRM Leadership Award in 2010, and the New York Stem Cell Foundation Roberston Prize in 2011. He was also Executive Co-Director of Translation Center for Stem Cell Biology & Engineering at UC Santa Barbara.
Professor Andrew Dick, director of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, commented: "Pete had a big heart and mind bringing a love of science with support and encouragement for his colleagues, students and patients. He built a community of scientific innovation and mentorship at the Institute of Ophthalmology. Both at UCL and in the global community, he was loved for his passion to drive forward stem and cell-based therapies, and for many individuals he was a superb mentor. His innovation in stem cell and cell transplant biology was a vanguard for many worldwide."
Dr Amanda Carr, who worked closely with Professor Coffey at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology from the early stages of the London Project, praised her colleague as "true pioneer", in a tribute posted by the Macular Society. She commented on Professor Coffey’s dedication to finding a cure for sight loss by developing a cell therapy for AMD using retinal pigment epithelial cells, while also describing him as inspiring and a joy to work with.
She said: "He worked with this endpoint in mind, assembling a multidisciplinary team and uniting people from across the globe to make it a reality.
"It was a bold, collaborative approach that exemplified his ability to bring people together to translate cutting-edge science into meaningful treatment for patients. His contributions will leave a lasting impact on the regenerative medicine community and the development of new treatments for macular disease, work that has brought real hope to so many."
She said: "Despite his many achievements as a world-renowned researcher, Pete remained incredibly modest and deeply generous with his time and knowledge. He had a gift for recognising people’s strengths and helping them grow into the best versions of themselves."
"He was the most inspiring boss, colleague, and mentor, someone who built a team filled with brilliant people, great warmth, and much laughter. Working with him was an absolute joy. We have lost a dear friend and colleague, and we will miss him beyond words."
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