MEC ImpactReport 2024 flipBook v1.0 single pages - Flipbook - Page 12
Research
A powerful research catalyst
Professor Mariya Moosajee, professor of molecular ophthalmology at UCL and consultant
ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital, has been
using zebrafish as an animal model for years, and is now a regular user of these new facilities
at the institute.
Having easier access to these fish has supported her research into how eye diseases develop and
her search for new treatments that can help save people’s sight:
Zebrafish are fantastic models to study genetic eye disease as they share 60% of
their genes with humans. Using them, I have been able to advance our knowledge of how
diseases occur and test new treatments to assess if they are a viable approach for further
development. It’s been a really powerful catalyst that’s driven our research programme
forward.
Professor Mariya Moosajee
Attracting new ideas and new talent
Dr Rodrigo Young, a new
zebrafish - highlighting the
study how the eye develops.
principal investigator at the
value of these facilities for
He hopes that his work with
UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
recruiting and developing new
zebrafish will enhance genetic
and former recipient of a
research talent.
testing of patients whose eyes
career development award
With the charity’s support,
have not developed normally
from the charity, is conducting
he was able to establish his
and will ultimately translate
research that is dependent
research programme and
into potential new treatments
on having excellent access to
now uses the new facility to
for patients.
Our research in fish models will enable us to identify, validate and study the function of
new candidate genes carrying mutant variants in patients born with very small or no eyes.
Dr Rodrigo Young
What next?
More than 20 researchers from across the institute are now
using and finding research success by way of the charity-funded
zebrafish facilities. In 2023 the charity provided funding to
further expand the facilities for housing zebrafish and add new
facilities for housing killifish. Killifish are similar to zebrafish but
age more quickly, allowing researchers to study how the eye is
affected by ageing over just six months, rather than having to
wait years.
This new grant enabled work which has the potential to
advance research into eye conditions related to ageing such
as age-related macular degeneration. It gives researchers
unprecedented access to these essential animal models to drive
forward their research programmes and ask even bigger and
more fundamental questions about the eye.
>20
More than 20
researchers are
finding research
success by way of
zebrafish
