Dissecting the Genetic Basis and Molecular Pathways of Inherited Forms of Blindness

I am an academic neuro-ophthalmologist with a major research interest in mitochondrial genetics and inherited eye diseases. My research group is focused on new gene discovery and we are using a multipronged approach to dissect the disease pathways contributing to progressive neuronal loss and blindness, including zebrafish models and patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells.

I coordinate a specialist clinical service for patients with mitochondrial eye diseases in Cambridge, Newcastle and London. Over the past 15 years, we have established a national cohort of patients with inherited optic neuropathies, and we are using this unique resource for deep phenotyping, biomarker profiling and to push forward with an active translational research programme, including gene therapy.

I have long-standing collaborations with other principal investigators in the Cambridge Centre for Brain Repair, the Cambridge MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology in London. This extensive research network will provide the student with access to a wide source of expertise, tailored supervision and the opportunity to develop a broad skill set as the project evolves.