Macular Disease Foundation Australia today announced it has awarded more than $1 million to eight groundbreaking research projects as part of its 2025 funding round.
Led by some of Australia’s top researchers, the new projects will help discover new treatments, reduce the burden of macular disease, and help 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 year’s investment 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.
2025 Macular Disease Foundation research grant recipients include:
- 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
The new funding brings Macular Disease Foundation’s total research investment to $6.9 million across 42 projects since the launch of its research grants program in 2011. Macular Disease Foundation remains the largest non-government funder of macular and retinal disease research in Australia.
“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.”
“Macular Disease Foundation’s research funding is made possible thanks to the incredible generosity of the community, who are investing in fast-tracking world-class Australian research to help us move closer to prevention and cure.”
The Macular Disease Foundation research grants will be awarded by the Governor-General at Admiralty House in Sydney this month.
MDFA research grant recipients 2025
Researcher: Dr Sushma Anand
Institution: Centre for Eye Research Australia,
Project title: Exploring exosomal therapeutics delivery strategies for macular disease
Grant Family Fund Award
About the project: Dr Anand and her team will explore how exosomes – tiny, naturally occurring “delivery vehicles” – can be used to transport medicines and genes directly to the cells in the eye that need them.
The team will use exosomes to treat two eye conditions that affect the macula and cause vision loss: Stargardt disease, an inherited eye condition that affects about 1 in every 10,000 people in Australia, and macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel) which is caused by abnormal blood vessels around the fovea at the centre of the macula.
Dr Anand is planning to use exosomes to deliver DNA to retinal cells to correct the genetic defect that causes Stargardt disease. Research has shown that MacTel is associated with low levels of serine, a molecule required for healthy functioning of retinal cells. Dr Anand will also use exosomes to deliver serine to retinal cells to treat MacTel.
Dr Anand’s research project could lead to groundbreaking advances in treating macular conditions by developing a delivery system that overcomes the limitations of current methods for delivering treatments to the eye.
Researcher: Professor Erica Fletcher
Institution: University of Melbourne
Project title: Towards a personalised approach to predicting and preventing progression of age-related macular degeneration
Macular Disease Foundation Australia Research Grant
About the project: Prof Fletcher and her team will investigate reticular pseudodrusen, a type of waste material that deposits on the macula, that is associated with increased risk of late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The researchers plan to create a special type of cell called microglia, a type of immune cell in the retina, from blood samples of people with AMD – both with and without reticular pseudodrusen, as well as from people without AMD, to compare how effectively the microglia remove waste from the macula.
The team will also study approximately 3000 different compounds to identify those that improve waste removal in microglia, potentially reversing the harmful processes that contribute to AMD. The compounds that work best, could become new treatments in future. Prof Fletcher’s project could revolutionise the treatment of AMD.
Name: Professor Mark Gillies
Institution: Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney
Project title: Reducing the risk of end-stage complications of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: macular atrophy and subretinal fibrosis
Macular Disease Foundation Australia Research Grant
About the project: About half of the people treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) eye injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will develop macular atrophy – the death of outer macular cells (i.e. the photoreceptor cells that detect light) or subretinal fibrosis (scarring beneath the macula), both of which cause irreversible vision loss.
The goal of Prof Gillies’ project is to discover which of the six currently available anti-VEGF eye injection treatments are least likely to lead to macular atrophy or scarring beneath the macula. Prof Gillies and his team also plan to investigate whether tolerating fluid under the retina, a sign of active neovascular AMD, by injecting less frequently, is linked to a reduced risk of developing macular atrophy.
The findings from this study may guide treatment choices and provide valuable insights into the long-term risks of emerging AMD treatments.
Name: Professor Robyn Guymer AM
Institution: Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA)
Project title: Nocturnal hypoxia: An unrecognised risk factor for neovascular age-related macular degeneration
Macular Disease Foundation Australia Research Grant
About the project: Prof Guymer’s project aims to determine how common nocturnal hypoxia (low night-time blood oxygen levels) is in people with neovascular AMD compared to similarly aged people without AMD. The researchers are also interested in comparing the ‘aggressiveness’ of neovascular AMD for example, the age when neovascular AMD developed, whether one or both eyes are affected, the need for more frequent eye-injections, in people with and without nocturnal hypoxia.
The findings of Prof Guymer’s project could confirm whether nocturnal hypoxia is a previously unknown risk factor for neovascular AMD, which would then allowing screening and treatment of people to lower their risk of AMD progression.
Name: Dr Samuel McLenachan
Institution: Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia
Project title: Genotype-phenotype correlations in PRPH2-associated retinal dystrophy
Macular Disease Foundation Australia Research Grant
About the project: Dr McLenachan seeks to deepen the understanding of PRPH2-associated retinal dystrophy (PARD) through his MDFA funded research project. The investigators will study variations in the PRPH2 gene, along with other related genes (called ABCA4 and ROM1), to determine how the different mutations influence the clinical features of retinal dystrophy. Dr McLenachan and his team plan to use stem-cell models from people with PRPH2-associated retinal dystrophy to conduct their research.
PRPH2-associated retinal dystrophy is the third most common inherited retinal disease in Western Australia. The outcomes of Dr McLenachan’s research may improve diagnosis and predictions of disease progression. Furthermore, the generation of stem-cell models from people with PARD may result in developing new therapies for the condition.
Name: Dr Danuta Sampson
Institution: Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia
Project title: Macular vascular disease: software standardisation and data harmonisation to accelerate the development of new imaging biomarkers and therapies
Grant Family Fund Award
About the project: Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) is an imaging technique that can detect eye diseases including neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Dr Sampson and her team of collaborators aim to standardise the computer software used to analyse OCT-A images, to enable faster, more accurate and consistent image processing and diagnosis reporting, so that the information can be shared across hospitals and clinics.
By improving the accuracy of the imaging, and enabling data sharing, Dr Sampson’s research will help support better monitoring of macular disease progression and ultimately improve the management of people with macular conditions.
Name: Dr Jiang-Hui (Sloan) Wang
Institution: Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA)
Project title: Next-generation gene therapy for Stargardt Disease: Enhanced AAV-mediated ABCA4 delivery to restore vision
Grant Family Fund Award
About the project: Dr Wang’s research focuses on overcoming a major challenge in gene therapy for Stargardt disease: safely and efficiently delivering the large ABCA4 gene to the retina to repair the faulty gene involved in causing Stargardt disease.
Dr Wang plans to deliver the ABCA4 gene into retinal cells (photoreceptors) using a specially modified virus. Once inside the cell, the new gene will restore the faulty gene into its original, functional form.
Dr Wang will then test the effectiveness of the ABCA4 gene in treating mouse models with Stargardt disease. Dr Wang’s work has the potential to advance gene therapy technologies and revolutionise treatment options for people affected by Stargardt disease and other retinal conditions.
Name: Professor Joanne Wood
Institution: Queensland University of Technology
Project title: Driving into the future: strategies to enhance independence for drivers with macular degeneration, including licensing options and the role of modern vehicle technology
Macular Disease Foundation Australia Research Grant
About the project: Drivers with macular disease often experience a loss of independence if they no longer meet driver licensing standards. However, access to modern vehicle technologies, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, and conditional licensing options may enable some people with macular disease to drive safely for longer.
Prof Wood plans to further investigate these options by conducting focus groups and a nationwide survey with drivers at various stages of macular disease to explore their experiences, challenges and needs. A second nationwide survey will explore the conditional licencing practices of ophthalmologists who manage drivers with macular disease.
Prof Wood hopes her research may lead to the development of strategies that enhance the driving performance and safety of people with macular disease through modern vehicle technologies and support conditional licencing frameworks to help people with macular disease maintain their independence for longer.
Posted: 1 August 2025
