A team of researchers from Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering in the UK have been awarded £1.1 million to develop a robotic system to replace damaged retinal cells in people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The system will be supported by advanced imaging techniques, such as OCT-A, allowing surgeons to deliver new retinal cells with precision, said Professor Lyndon da Cruz, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Moorfields and clinical lead for the project. “Significant progress in cellular therapy has meant that we are one step closer to restoring sight and improving AMD patients’ quality of life. However, this huge clinical advancement cannot be realised without the engineering input needed to enable effective cellular delivery. Interdisciplinary collaboration is essential to this research’s success.”

Dr Christos Bergeles from the UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering and principal investigator for the project said, “This project is a truly multidisciplinary effort. It is a pioneering new treatment and, with millions of AMD sufferers worldwide, it has a potentially vast patient impact. Advancing successful retinal cellular delivery to become a clinical reality would be a major milestone in the capabilities of ocular research.”