UCL wins half of new Fight for Sight research grants

UCL?s Institute of Ophthalmology has won three out of six new grants from the charity Fight for Sight to research the prevention and treatment of eye disease. The charity has granted awards to members of UCL?s Institute of Ophthalmology after announcing a total of more than £900,000 of grant funding last month. Dr Julie Daniels and Professor Mark Lewis have been awarded a £177,992 project grant to research the use of cells taken from the mouth (oral mucosal epithelial cells) for therapeutic transplantation for corneal disease. It is hoped this will lead to the development of a new cell therapy to treat diseases of the cornea ? the transparent film on the front surface of the eye that is essential for vision. This research has been co-funded by Fight for Sight together with the Special Trustees of Moorfields Eye Hospital and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Sumit Dhingra has received a Clinical Fellowship Award of £179,980 to research the use of inhibiting enzymes, including matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors, to reduce scarring caused by glaucoma surgery. The research could lead to improved treatment for patients with glaucoma and other eye diseases caused by scarring that are currently untreatable, such as scarring in premature babies.