Macular Disease Foundation Australia (MDFA) has awarded more than $1 million to eight groundbreaking research projects as part of our 2025 funding round. This brings our total research investment to $6.9 million across 42 projects since we launched our grants program in 2011.
Remaining the largest non-government funder of macular and retinal disease research in Australia is only made possible by the generous gifts from our wonderful donors. Thank you to everyone who has contributed – your support is helping fast-track world-class Australian research and innovations, bringing us closer to prevention and cure.
The 2025 MDFA research grant projects
Led by some of Australia’s top researchers, the new projects are focused on improving treatments, reducing the burden of macular disease, and helping protect future generations from its impact.
The new research projects include studies that aim to predict and prevent the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), new software for collecting and analysing retinal images that could speed up diagnosis and treatment, and new gene therapy and targeted treatments for inherited diseases including Stargardt disease and macular telangiectasia (MacTel).
This is also an important year because it marks the third round of funding from the Grant Family Fund, a generous bequest that supports blue sky research projects led by early career researchers.
Meet our 2025 grant recipients
- Dr Sushma Anand, Centre for Eye Research Australia
- Professor Erica Fletcher, University of Melbourne
- Professor Mark Gillies, Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney
- Professor Robyn Guymer AM, Centre for Eye Research Australia
- Dr Samuel McLenachan, Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia
- Dr Danuta Sampson, Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia
- Dr Jiang-Hui (Sloan) Wang, Centre for Eye Research Australia
- Professor Joanne Wood, Queensland University of Technology
“These projects have the potential to change lives, not just here in Australia, but globally,” said Macular Disease Foundation Australia CEO, Dr Kathy Chapman.
“We’re proud to extend our support for research that could redefine how macular diseases are diagnosed, treated, and ultimately prevent blindness – delivering real-world benefits for ophthalmologists, optometrists, and, importantly, people living with a macular disease.”
“This funding round also marks a significant step toward our goal of doubling the number of research projects we support by 2030. We’re empowering Australian researchers to lead the way in tackling macular disease.”
Full media release announcement with project details available here.
Posted: 1 August 2025
