A two-day visit by the International Centre for Translational Eye Research (ICTER) to the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London highlighted how close collaboration and knowledge exchange accelerate innovation in ophthalmology across Europe.
The visit opened at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology with a deep dive into pioneering research. Discussions spanned gene therapy strategies targeting calcium signalling in uveal melanoma, automated open-source AI for retinal imaging, models of inherited retinal dystrophies, multi-omics for molecular mapping of disease, and advanced imaging techniques to probe retinal structure and function. Novel approaches to manipulating neural circuits for vision restoration were also presented.
The sessions combined formal seminars with one-on-one exchanges, featuring leading experts including Prof. Andrew Dick, Prof. Alison Hardcastle, Prof. Mike Cheetham, Prof. Paul Foster, Dr. Angelos Kalitzeos, Dr. Nikolas Pontikos, Dr. Davide Zecchin, Dr. Matteo Rizzi, and Dr. Colin Chu.
On the second day, Prof. Maciej Wojtkowski delivered a talk, “From Imaging to Genomics – Research at ICTER”, sparking lively debate on translational pipelines. The TRIO-Vi consortium then defined next-step milestones to advance its joint mission.
The ICTER team toured Moorfields Eye Hospital – one of Europe’s most renowned ophthalmic clinics – and visited Prof. Marinko Sarunic’s lab. Discussions continued with leading figures including Prof. Marcus Fruttiger, Prof. James Bainbridge, Dr. Colin Chu, and Dr. Gary Chung.
Although the journey home unexpectedly detoured through Rome, the visit underscored a clear message: collaboration between ICTER, UCL IoO and Moorfields Eye Hospital is accelerating the path from basic discovery to clinical impact. This is how translational science moves from vision to reality – faster, because it is done together.
