Targeting inflammation and fibrosis for the treatment of retinal disease

Summary Currently, there are no effective treatment options for retinal scarring and limited therapies for neovascularisation, hence there is a high unmet clinical need for novel and cost effective products to prevent vision loss associated with neovascularisation, inflammation and fibrosis. With this focus our group, along with the biotech company OccuRx, has patented a library of new chemical entities with potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases of the retina.

Project Details

Our group is focussed on the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for the treatment of ophthalmic disorders such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinopathy of prematurity, which are associated with retinal inflammation, growth of abnormal blood vessels (neovascularisation) and fibrosis. Currently, there are no effective treatment options for retinal scarring and limited therapies for neovascularisation, hence there is a high unmet clinical need for novel and cost effective products to prevent vision loss associated with neovascularisation, inflammation and fibrosis. With this focus our group, along with the biotech company OccuRx, has patented a library of new chemical entities with potent anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases of the retina. Our projects involve investigating novel therapeutic targets and testing the efficacy of targeted therapies on the pathological (histological and molecular) features of various eye diseases using animal models and cell culture systems. We have a number of projects suitable for PhD students that are available to outstanding and enthusiastic students interested in pre-clinical drug development. We also welcome enquiries from students interested in the business development side of the Biotech Industry in Australia.