The research facility of a renowned eye hospital has been given a multimillion-pound award to develop new treatments and better care for people suffering from debilitating eye conditions.
The Moorfields Clinical Research Facility, which is known for the first ever successful implant of a bionic eye, received funding for the next five years from the National Institute for Health Research.
The facility manages trials and research for people with eye conditions, including those caused by diseases like diabetes and glaucoma.
Declan Flanagan, the deputy director of research at?the hospital, said that the funding would help the facility to develop new treatments and make existing care more accessible.
He said: “The emphasis of this award is impact. We have to show we will make a difference to underserved communities.”
“This investment will have an impact in east and north London but also across the whole of London.”
“Poor vision impacts people’s lives and we can make a difference. It’s about developing new treatments and getting care to communities. For example, using IT links to primary care or patients’ homes to avoid patients having to come into hospital.”
Dr Flanagan, who previously worked as a consultant ophthalmologist at the hospital said: “I enjoyed being a hands-on clinician for many years and preventing loss of vision. I found it fulfilling but I felt I could only see a certain number of patients.”
“I felt I needed to develop a system wide approach and a robust group of people to carry it forward.”
Professor Sobha Sivaprasad, the facility’s director, said: “We are at a turning point in ophthalmology, and it is vital that we seize the momentum, especially in areas from gene, cell, innovative laser, surgical and drug therapies through to artificial intelligence.”
Emerson Ting, a technician with the facility, said: “Without research, there’s no new drugs or innovation. It would all stop without the research.”
The award is part of the National Institute for Health Research’s £160 million funding for research facilities.
