Funding worth £1.3m has been awarded to the University of Liverpool to design and produce advanced materials to combat vision loss.
A five-year ‘Engineering Fellowship for Growth’ was awarded to Professor Rachel Williams who would bring together eye and vision science, engineering, chemistry and physics departments.
A statement by the university said researchers would work on new materials that could be used as artificial corneas – removing the need for patients to wait for a transplant.
They would also develop contact lenses manufactured in a more environmentally friendly way and that can be adapted to carry drugs to help people recover from wounds to the eye or to fight infections.
Professor Williams said: ‘The eye is a complex structure and the design and production of advanced materials are required to overcome the destructive nature of ocular diseases. Bringing together engineers, scientists and clinicians to combine their knowledge and expertise and apply them to address the eye healthcare problems of the 21st Century has enormous potential.’
Other strands of the research were to develop surfaces that promote growth of cells ready to be implanted in the eye to repair damage caused by conditions such as age-related macular degeneration.
The investment was announced by Universities and Science Minister, David Willetts and provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to support the government’s Eight Great Technologies policy.