Millions of people worldwide are waiting for a cornea transplant, while their sight worsens. But with funding from Fight for Sight, Dr Hannah Levis and her team are developing an option which could help people get their eyesight back sooner.
Every year in the UK, 3,000 cornea transplants take place, using corneas donated by people after their death. But for many reasons, there is a shortage of willing donors. Globally, for every one corneal transplant that happens, there are 70 other people in need.
Save the date: Thursday 22 May 2025 at 13:00-14:00.
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Over 12 million people worldwide are on a transplant waiting list. And while they wait – for months, or even years – their eyesight continues to deteriorate.
About the speaker
Fight for Sight awarded Dr Levis funding in 2017 to prove the biosynthetic graft could be an alternative to donated corneas.
With the evidence gathered from the Fight for Sight study, in 2022 Dr Levis won a Medical Research Council grant worth £1.4 million. Using this funding, they are updating all their processes so the graft can be manufactured safely and at scale, in preparation for clinical trials in humans.
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- 2030
- Dr Levis hopes the first trials could start before 2030. She believes the graft could significantly cut waiting times for a cornea transplant. “You could treat 30 people around the country in one week. So those patients that would have waited months or years for a transplant would be boosted up the list a bit quicker.”
Who will benefit from this webinar?
The session will interest:
- Families impacted by sight loss
- Anyone curious about lab-based research into eye disease
- Fellow researchers in the field
- Anyone beginning a career in eye research
- Potential research funders
- Anyone considering applying for research funding
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