Moorfields Eye Charity and the Medical Research Foundation are working in partnership to support research into childhood and adolescent eye health. They will input £1.7 million of funding into this massively underfunded area of research. The funding initiative is the first of its kind in the UK and has the potential to help save sight and transform the lives of millions of children all over the world.
Eye examination Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Globally, at least 450 million children have a sight condition that needs treatment, with 90 million of them living with some form of sight loss1.
Research supported through this partnership will increase our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning eye health and disease in children and adolescents, which could lead to improvements in diagnosis and treatments.
The Medical Research Foundation is investing £1.2 million, thanks to generous donations from Barbara Sofia Formi, Anne Catherine Burdon, Louisa Stacey Pike and Herman Spooner, to support research nationally. Moorfields Eye Charity is seeking to raise £500,000 to support paediatric research. This will provide a remarkable opportunity for Moorfields and its academic partner the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology to add further valuable impact into the paediatric space. The commitment and ambition of both Moorfields Eye Charity and the Medical Research Foundation will help change the future for children with sight loss in the UK and worldwide.
Eye examination Moorfields Eye Hospital.
Andrew Dick, Director of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, said: “Currently only 3% of research funding is spent on eye diseases2. This partnership and significant investment from the Medical Research Foundation and Moorfields Eye Charity will change the landscape of children’s eye health. The funding and multi-disciplinary approach with rapid translation of research at Moorfields and UCL will help bring new therapies and better outcomes to patients.”
Robert Dufton, Chief Executive, Moorfields Eye Charity, said: “This is an amazing opportunity for Moorfields Eye Charity and the Medical Research Foundation to improve children’s eye health. We’re delighted to be working together to further support Moorfields Eye Hospital and its academic partner, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology – known for their pioneering advancements, and to make a difference to the lives of patients and their families.”
Research at Moorfields & UCL
Dr Angela Hind, Chief Executive, Medical Research Foundation, said: “The sight of millions of children depends on continual medical advances underpinned by innovative research. This joint funding between the Medical Research Foundation and Moorfields Eye Charity represents an invaluable opportunity in the hugely underfunded research field of child and adolescent eye health. We’re thrilled to be providing funding for ground-breaking, multi-disciplinary research nationally that we hope will change the lives of many young patients with sight conditions.”
Full information on the grant and application process can be found on the Medical Research Foundation’s website. Applications for grants are open on the Medical Research Foundation Flexigrant system. Applications will be assessed by specialists in the field nominated by both Moorfields Eye Charity and the Medical Research Foundation.
Fundraising contacts:
Rachel Jones, Director of Development, Moorfields Eye Charity: rachel.jones310@nhs.net
Cheryl Armitage, Director of Fundraising, Medical Research Foundation: cheryl.armitage@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk
References
