Episode 5: The Australian Bionic Eye Project
06/18/24 • 62 min
Associate Professor Penelope Allen is a leading expert in ophthalmology and a pivotal figure in the Australian Bionic Eye project. Join us as she delves into the fascinating journey of this initiative, from its inception and the brilliant minds behind it to the many challenges they have faced along the way. We'll also hear about the outcomes of the first and second clinical trials, offering hope and new possibilities for vision-impaired individuals.
To learn more about this project, visit:
Centre for Eye Research Australia https://www.cera.org.au/research/bionic-eye-and-vitreoretinal-research/
Bionics Institute https://rb.gy/p2t75w
Check out Channel 9’s recent news coverage (May 2024) of the 2nd clinical trials here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Associate Professor Penelope Allen is a leading expert in ophthalmology and a pivotal figure in the Australian Bionic Eye project. Join us as she delves into the fascinating journey of this initiative, from its inception and the brilliant minds behind it to the many challenges they have faced along the way. We'll also hear about the outcomes of the first and second clinical trials, offering hope and new possibilities for vision-impaired individuals.
To learn more about this project, visit:
Centre for Eye Research Australia https://www.cera.org.au/research/bionic-eye-and-vitreoretinal-research/
Bionics Institute https://rb.gy/p2t75w
Check out Channel 9’s recent news coverage (May 2024) of the 2nd clinical trials here
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
Episode 4: Dealing with Inherited Retinal Disease
This week I'm joined by special guest Associate Professor Lauren Ayton to discuss inherited retinal diseases.
One time not long ago, there was very little we could do to change the prognosis of inherited retinal diseases. People with Retinitis Pigmentosa. Choroideremia. Leber congenital amaurosis. Stargardt's disease. To name but a few. All conditions we previously monitored, and could only counsel on. But critical advances in research over the last decade now provide hope to people with such conditions.
Resources
- Retina Australia: https://retinaaustralia.com.au/
- An optometrist guide to the top candidate inherited retinal diseases for gene therapy: https://doi.org/10.1080/08164622.2021.1878851
- The Australian Inherited Retinal Disease Register and DNA Bank is Australia’s largest DNA ban collecting family history and genetic samples, but not comprehensive clinical data (which is captured by state-based registries – below). The AIRDR has proudly been funded by Retina Australia since its inception in 2009. https://www.scgh.health.wa.gov.au/Research/DNA-Bank
- The VENTURE Registry is a collaboration between the Centre for Eye Research Australia and the University of Melbourne which collects both clinical and genetic information on people living with IRDs in Victoria. This registry also includes female carriers of X-linked IRDs. https://www.cera.org.au/research/venture-study/
- The Save Sight Institute IRD Registry is based in NSW and led by an ophthalmologist (Prof Grigg) and geneticist (Prof Jamieson), collecting both clinical and genetic data on people living with IRDs. https://www.sydney.edu.au/save-sight-institute/our-research/eye-genetics-inherited-retinal-diseases/inherited-retinal-diseases.html
- The Western Australia Retinal Disease (WARD) study is based at the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, collecting clinical and genetic information on people with IRDs. The Lead Investigator, A/Prof Fred Chen, is also the Head of the Ocular Tissue Engineering Laboratory at Lions, developing new treatments for IRDs. https://www.lei.org.au/research/clinical-trials/the-western-australian-retinal-degeneration-ward-study-lions-eye-institute-retina-australia/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
Episode 6: Feeding your Eyes
Have you ever wondered what sort of nutrition advice is best for vision, for eye health and importantly, to prevent eye disease? Feeding your eyes is the very beginning of a conversation on nutrition for eye health. Professor John Nolan, the founder and director of the Nutrition Research Centre in Ireland, joins me to discuss the ingredients needed to improve and retain our vision. We deep dive into John’s areas of expertise: the role of nutrition for vision, cognitive function and the prevention of age-related diseases like macular degeneration. And we dare to venture into provocative territories that challenge the status quo. Food for thought.
The late Michael Moseley is mentioned in this episode, related to his work investigating the legitimacy of Prof. John’s work. We’d like to acknowledge not only his tragic passing this year, but his brilliant contributions to the field of science translation. Vale Michael.
Additional resources:
The Brain and Ocular Nutrition Conference aims to connect the global scientific community as well as nutrition enthusiasts, for the advancement of eye and brain function through nutrition. It is planned for June 2025 in Massachusetts, USA.
Nutritional therapist Hannah Nunn’s channel can be found at www.youtube.com/@nutritionforamd
Michael Moseley’s “Trust Me I’m a Doctor” review of macula pigment supplementation: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1f4vsRpHghwGWZcSvRN72xM/can-i-improve-my-eyesight
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