Funding attracts blindness researchers to UK
Funding for blindness research is attracting researchers from across Europe and the USA to the UK, according to the UK's Science Minister, Lord Sainsbury. Some 13 new eye research scientists have been attracted by funding of over 48 million euro provided by the government, eye charities and business. The funding will be spent on developing new techniques for the treatment and prevention of age related macular degeneration, the main cause of severe sight loss in adults over 50 years old in the western world, and glaucoma. 'I am proud that these top international scientists have chosen to work in the UK on this important area of research. The impact and cost of eye disease to our society and to the world as a whole is huge,' Lord Sainsbury said. The European Commission is also funding a number of projects aimed at preventing or treating blindness under the Fifth Framework programme (FP5), including the development of a vaccination against river blindness (VARBO) under the International cooperation programme and the optimisation of a visual implantable prosthesis (OPTIVIP) under the User-friendly information society programme. The partners in this project have validated this concept by realising the first fully designed and clinically implanted visual prosthesis in the world. Researchers in the UK, in collaboration with US counterparts, have recently developed a technique that could lead to treatment for age-related macular degeneration. Scientists used genetic engineering to restore vision to rats which went blind soon after birth. Human clinical trials are expected to be carried out soon.
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