Two of Australia’s retina specialists have received awards under Bayer’s Global Ophthalmology Awards Program (GOAP) for their research proposals to foster understanding of retinal disease.
Associate Professor Fred K. Chen, Lions Eye Institute (pictured), has received a Research Award of US$59,000 for his research project which aims to use state-of-the-art retinal imaging technology to uncover the mechanism of distortion in vision.
“Receiving the Bayer grant provides a fantastic opportunity for us to discover how macular conditions cause vision distortion, a common disabling and irreversible symptom of many retinal diseases,“ said A/Prof. Chen. “If we improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms, we can ultimately provide more effective and targeted treatments for patients suffering from this symptom across the globe.”
Dr. Matthew Simunovic, a former Fellow at the University of Sydney, now a Fellow at the University of Oxford, has been granted a Fellowship Project Award of US$50,000 for his proposal to advance the understanding of the positive effects of gene therapy on choroideremia, a genetic disease of the retina, which can lead to severe vision impairment.
Leading Australian medical retinal and macula specialist and chair of the independent judging committee, Dr. Jennifer Arnold, said, “Both submissions address great medical needs that urgently require in-depth investigation. The insights gained from their projects will provide important stepping stones for further advancement of curing retinal disease.”
A total of 79 applications from around the world were received and 11 awards chosen for their “innovative character with great benefit to patients and the scientific community.”
