gy at Dublin City University, are undertaking this endeavour in conjunction with the Curtis group of Queens University Belfast, and the Ambati group of the Moran Eye Centre, UT, USA as part of US-Ireland R&D Partnership Program aimed at generating valuable discoveries and innovations leading to enhancements in health, disease prevention or healthcare.
A descriptive breakdown on diabetic retinopathy as put together by the OPGG of UCD and ICON Firecrest
This SFI-funded partnership is just one of many globally spanning ocular-orientated research networks within Ireland that I have come to know since branching into ophthalmic research. One research group I had encountered previously in my research travels was the Ocular Pharmacology and Genetics (OPGG) group based in the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research of University College Dublin. Part of the 3D-NEONET consortium and boasting an impressive research track record in developing genetic and pharmacological treatments for human blindness, they as a group are equally adept in their outreach, dissemination, and promotion of ocular research within the research, patient and public audiences.
And so on a sun-scorched June 7th, I would find myself heading to the Conway Institute to attend the second bi-annual ‘New Frontiers in Ocular Therapeutics’ workshop run by the OPGG with support from Science Foundation Ireland and Bio-Sciences Ltd. Run over two days, this workshop was promoted as a gathering of those from all research backgrounds with an interest in developing eye therapeutics towards the clinic, and providing a forum to discuss their research, create new networks, and forge prospective collaborations.
The workshop did just that – a seventy strong cohort comprised of interdisciplinary experts, academics, clinicians, patient advocates, early career researchers, and PhD students, gathered together for what would be an excellent symposium in which any and all stakeholders in the field of vision research were represented and given an opportunity to discuss the state-of-play in ocular research, dissect approaches to modelling and therapeutic delivery, and perhaps an often missed opportunity at larger conferences – constructively network and engage with each other.
So as the sun was blinding outside, so began our assembly on all things to do with blindness. After a warm welcoming address from workshop coordinators and principal investigators within the OPGG of UCD; Prof. Brendan O’ Kennedy and Dr. Alison Reynolds, Dr. Sarah McLoughlin; Science Communications Officer of Retina International, gave an insightful overview of how patient advocacy has been a driving force for ocular research the world over. Incepted in 1978, the importance of Retinal International, and the 30+ patient led charities they coordinate with, to vision research over the last 40 years cannot be underestimated. To put some context, to hear their early efforts of uniting and informing patients, clinicians, researchers, policy makers and industry globally of the latest breakthroughs and discoveries in an era where the internet was not as readily accessible as it is today, was remarkable. Dr. McLoughlin’s talk particularly captured the tone of what this workshop embodies; in that having the opportunity to share experiences, learn from one another, and find ways to work together, ultimately leads to improvements to the needs of the patient community.
After that inspiring opener we were then ready to begin with the first of three thematic sessions; astutely organised to take us through the therapeutic pipeline - starting with the models and means of elucidating ocular pathologies, then to the development of delivery methods that overcome the nigh-impenetrable barriers that protect the eye, before finishing with aspects of translating scientific findings to innovative molecular therapies from bench to bedside.
Dr. Lasse Jensen (Linköping University and BioReperia) got us underway with his innovative approaches to modelling different phenotypes of diabetic retinopathy using the zebrafish model. Dr