Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh visited UCL today to learn about cutting-edge genetics research funded by Fight for Sight into genetic eye diseases.
The visit to the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology was an opportunity for The Duchess to meet the future generation of eye health researchers.
Her Royal Highness toured the institute’s inherited corneal disease laboratory with the lab’s principal investigator Professor Alice Davidson and Fight for Sight Chief Executive Keith Valentine.
Professor Davidson researches conditions that affect the cornea (the transparent outer layer of the eye), some of which can contribute to vision loss or even blindness.
Professor Davidson’s research focuses on the genetic origins and molecular mechanisms underlying inherited corneal diseases, in order to develop new diagnostic methods and treatments for inherited corneal disease. The most common of these diseases is Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), an age-related condition which affects up to 4.5% of people aged over 50.
I am very grateful for Her Royal Highness’s interest in our work and the ongoing support of Fight for Sight.
Inherited corneal disease is primarily treated with surgery, but some patients require multiple corneal grafts during their lifetime.
Furthermore, there is a global shortage of tissue available for such surgeries and given the age-related nature of the most common form of disease, there is pressing clinical need for alternative, less invasive preventative or disease-delaying treatments to be developed.
Professor Davidson said: “Inherited corneal diseases are collectively a common group of visually disabling conditions that are placing an increasing burden on individuals within our ageing society. My research aims to address this clinical need through advancing our knowledge of the genetic causes and mechanisms that underlie this group of conditions to enable the development of new and innovative diagnostic strategies and genetic therapies.”
“I am very grateful for Her Royal Highness’s interest in our work and the ongoing support of Fight for Sight.”
Professor Davidson and her UCL colleagues Dr Nihar Bhattacharyya, Dr Anne-Marie Kladny, Dr Siyin Liu, Dr Christina Zarouchlioti and researchers Niuzheng Chai, Marcos Costa, and Anita Szabo demonstrated a range of laboratory techniques on the tour, including DNA isolation, amplification and sequencing methods applied to discover genetic origins of disease, alongside cutting-edge approaches to model corneal disease in a dish, while explaining how they are using these systems to develop innovative genetic therapies.
Fight for Sight funds scientific research that advances the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of eye disease.
Keith Valentine of Fight for Sight said: “I’m delighted to show HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh around Professor Alice Davidson’s labs today. Professor Davidson’s journey in eye research began with us in 2015 when we awarded her an Early Investigators Award through to today where she is currently supervising two projects with Fight for Sight.
“We don’t just invest in projects we invest in people, building a vibrant community of researchers across the country, fostering collaboration and accelerating progress in eye disease research. It’s an honour to show The Duchess firsthand the incredible eye research that’s happening right here in the UK, and the critical role UCL’s institute plays in the research ecosystem.”
HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh was the Royal Patron of Vision Foundation from 2003-2023 before it merged with Fight for Sight in 2023. The Duchess is an ardent supporter of people with vision loss in the UK and across the Commonwealth.
To ensure Her Royal Highness’ support reaches an international scale, The Duchess is Global Ambassador for the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and through this patronage will continue to support the work of Fight for Sight.
Fight for Sight and Professor Alice Davidson
Fight for Sight awarded her an Early Career Investigator Award in 2015, allowing her to initiate her own independent research program at the institute to investigate the genetics of conditions that affect the cornea (front of the eye).
In 2019, Alice was awarded a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, an award that funds and recognises future leaders within science and innovation.
Her focus is on corneal research and the genetic mechanism behind this. She is currently supervising two projects with Fight for Sight and a co-applicant on another exciting project.
1) Alice was awarded a Frankenburg / Fight for Sight PhD Studentship in 2022, where she will train the next generation of eye researchers – in this case, student Marcos Costa – to better understand the causative genes and mechanisms of inherited corneal disease.
2) She is a co-supervisor of Dr Siyin Liu, who was awarded an MRC / Fight for Sight Clinical Research Training Fellowship in 2023 at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. With the help of this funding, Dr Liu will gain a PhD, allowing him to be a researcher and a clinician, building further capacity for eye research.
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