Glaucoma UK and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists are delighted to announce the winners of the 2024 Glaucoma UK/RCOphth Research Award. As a result of the high quality of applications received, the judging panel have awarded two projects, worth nearly £200,000 in total.
The grants are awarded to Dr Lisa Hill at the University of Birmingham, and Dr Victoria McGilligan at Ulster University. Dr Hill’s project has been awarded £99,652 and will look to develop a novel treatment for primary open angle glaucoma. Dr McGilligan’s project, titled A novel bispecific antibody therapy targeting the NLRP3 inflammasome for glaucoma, has been awarded £99,919.
Dr McGilligan’s project is supporting the development of a novel antibody therapy which can turn off inflammation in eye cells by targeting a protein group called the ‘inflammasome’. While still in early development, this antibody could potentially stop glaucoma progression, offering a new treatment approach beyond just lowering eye pressure.
Dr Victoria McGilligan.
Dr McGilligan expressed, “I am truly delighted to receive such prestigious funding, which will not only support this important work but will also help support our early-career researchers to remain within the glaucoma research field. We look forward to working with Glaucoma UK and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists to help promote their important contributions to improving patients’ lives.”
Dr Lisa Hill commented, “We are delighted to have been awarded the research grant from Glaucoma UK and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. The funding is for work that aims to develop a new approach to treatment for primary open angle glaucoma that could help both prevent and treat the disease.
Dr Lisa Hill.
Our research will be looking at the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is a network of proteins and other molecules that surrounds and supports cells and tissues. In the eye, dysfunctions of the ECM in the eye contribute to trabecular meshwork dysfunction in primary open angle glaucoma. We believe our new treatment will help prevent and treat the ECM dysfunction, and so provide better outcomes for patients. We are really excited to be working closely with Glaucoma UK and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists on this project and are grateful for their support.”
Joanna Hodgkinson, Glaucoma UK’s Head of Research, commented, “We are thrilled to award two promising projects through this year’s joint grant with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists. Both offer the potential of developing new treatments to prevent glaucoma sight loss. We know that for many people, lowering eye pressure through existing treatments doesn’t prevent further sight loss, so it’s wonderful to be exploring new possibilities. We look forward to working with both research groups on their exciting projects.”
Glaucoma UK and the College would like to thank the members of the panel who gave their time to mark and interview for this award. Glaucoma UK is also indebted to the members and supporters whose generosity has made these grants possible.
