Dr Victoria McGilligan, a Research Fellow at the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, has been awarded the 2011 Cora Verhagen Immunology Award given to the best presentation of research at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

At the conference Dr McGilligan presented research findings from the transatlantic partnership that was the first to discover a protein at the front of the eye that is key to inflammation and a serious threat to vision.

She currently undertaking a research sabbatical at the Schepens Eye Research Institute at the Harvard Medical School in Boston. This places her working alongside world-renowned ocular surface researchers Dr Darlene, Dr Meredith Gregory-Ksander, Dr Bruce Ksander and Dr Mike Gilmore in Harvard. Combined efforts with the Ulster team will attempt to develop treatments for difficulties emanating from this protein in patients.

“I am delighted to have received this award and it is a privilege to work with world renowned scientists in the areas of immunology and ophthalmology. I am very excited to be involved in research that may lead to the development of therapies for potentially blinding conditions,” Dr McGilligan said.

The research sabbatical places Victoria working alongside world-renowned ocular surface researcher Dr Darlene Dartt at the Schepens Eye Research Institute. Dr Dartt’s laboratory was the first to develop a technique to culture specialised cells in the front of the eye, called goblet cells.

Dr McGilligan began her career by obtaining both her undergraduate degree and PhD at the University of Ulster. Since then she has been a member of Dr Tara Moore’s ocular research group, which is currently involved in developing therapies for sight-threatening conditions.

Professor Johnny Moore at Cathedral Eye Clinic in Belfast, who sponsors Vicky during her secondment to Boston said: “Ocular surface inflammation is one of the most commonly recognised reasons to attend eye clinics. In some of these patients, ongoing progressive inflammation can result in scarring and virtually untreatable blindness. The recently identified presence of ‘the inflammasome protein complex’ on the ocular surface offers the potential of a new therapeutic target to manage some of these otherwise difficult conditions.”

The cornea is the outmost portion of the eye and protects the eye from the outside world.  It consists of five different transparent layers.

Corneal dystrophy is a group of several hereditary eye disorders where the structure of the cornea is abnormal, leading to pain, discomfort and a build-up of cloudy material that leads to loss of vision. Different forms of corneal dystrophy affect the different layers of the cornea.

There is currently no cure for corneal dystrophy other than corneal transplantation.

The new three-year research project is led at Ulster by Dr Tara Moore, of the Centre for Molecular Biosciences, and consultant ophthalmologist Professor Johnny Moore in association with Professor Irwin McLean in the Division of Molecular Medicine at Dundee.

Two of the first genes causing corneal dystrophy were reported by the McLean group in 1997.  The current project will apply recently developed gene silencing techniques to try to “switch off” the faulty gene in patients with corneal dystrophy.  This will hopefully lead to a better treatment than corneal transplantation, which is currently the only option for severely affected individuals.

“We are very grateful to Fight for Sight for funding this project and we are extremely excited to commence working on a new therapy for this important group of eye disorders,” said Dr Moore.

Dr Moore added that researchers with the University of Ulster aim to establish a corneal dystrophy patient group to help in the development of a partnership between researchers and patients in order to best determine how to meet their needs and establish clear goals for future research.

The corneal dystrophy group will be established with the help of collaborating ophthalmologist and corneal specialist Professor Johnny Moore. Patients who suspect they may have any form of corneal dystrophy are welcome to join this patient group by contacting Cathedral Eye Clinic, University of Ulster, York St., Belfast. cathedraleye@gmail.com and t: 028 90322020

The grant award to the two universities is part of over £1.4 million in research funding announced by Fight for Sight. Each year the charity awards grants for original and ground-breaking research into eye disease at leading universities and hospitals across the UK.

Note for Editors:

Fight for Sight

Fight for Sight is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to funding world-class research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease.

Since 1965, the charity has funded research at leading universities and hospitals throughout the UK. Our major achievements in this time include:

·       saving the sight of thousands of  premature babies through understanding and controlling levels of oxygen delivery;

·       restoring sight by establishing the UK Corneal Transplant Service enabling over 48,000 corneal transplants to take place;

·       revolutionising the treatment for children with amblyopia (lazy eye);

·       bringing hope to children with inherited eye disease by helping fund the team responsible for the world’s first gene therapy clinical trial; and

·       providing £1million for the research unit at the dedicated children’s eye centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

The Fight for Sight  research programme is focusing on preventing and treating age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataract.  It also fudns research into the causes of childhood blindness and a large number of rare eye diseases.

Biomedical scientist Dr Tara Moore has been awarded a Distinguished Research Fellowship. Since her appointment to a lectureship, Dr Moore has played a key role in the Vision Sciences Research Group, part of the University’s 5* rated Biomedical Sciences Research Institute.

Her research career began with a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical biochemistry with the Royal Group of Hospitals in Belfast Trust and progressed to a range of positions including probably the world’s greatest research institution, Harvard Medical School, prior to her return to Ulster.

Dr Moore’s work aims to alleviate a number of illnesses of the human visual system, in particular a disease known as dry-eye, that creates great discomfort for many sufferers.

She has developed worthwhile collaborations with centres of excellence nationally and internationally; published papers in some of the world’s top journals and gained funding for her highly innovative work.

Dr Moore’s award is remarkable also in that she is a previous recipient of a University Distinguished Teaching Award and of a UK National Teaching Fellowship.

She is an excellent example of how a highly talented person can, from the earliest career stage, blend outstanding research with outstanding teaching and contributions to the development of Life Sciences businesses in Northern Ireland.

Dr Tara Moore, a lecturer in biomedical sciences who lives in Ballyclare, and Ms Sandra Griffiths, a senior lecturer in education at the Jordanstown campus, received their awards from Bill Rammell MP, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education in the Department for Education and Skills, at a ceremony held in London.

National Teaching Fellowships recognise and reward the most innovative and inspiring teaching in Universities throughout England and Northern Ireland.  Just 50 awards were made and the University of Ulster was one of only a handful of universities to receive more than one award.

National Teaching Fellows each receive £50,000 to use on a project that will make a significant contribution to the further advancement of University teaching and opportunities for student learning.

Dr Moore will use her money to develop new e-learning programmes and Ms Griffith.

will use her prize to investigate how students perceive teaching in the context of social and educational inclusion.

Attending the London ceremony with the two UU academics was Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Richard Barnett who said: “The National Teaching Fellowships Scheme recognises and rewards the very best in University teaching.  I’m delighted that the quality of teaching at UU has been recognised nationally by the awards to Sandra and Tara”.

Dr Rowan, a general practitioner and forensic medical examiner in East Anglia, UK undertook a distance learning forensic medicine research project with supervisors Dr Tara Moore and Dr Edward Goodall. The research investigated a new method of imaging bruises to obtain evidence for suspected cases of child abuse, rape and domestic violence.

He developed a method to image bruises successfully and to record evidence of bruising on victims which is effective even when there is a significant period of time between reporting of bruises and the date of incident, and importantly when all bruising is invisible to the naked eye.

This is the second consecutive year that a University of Ulster Forensic and Legal Medicine student has been awarded this research prize at the event at The Royal Society of Medicine in London.

Last year Dr Winnie Maguire, a forensic medical officer from Belfast was awarded the same prize for her research with Drs Moore and Goodall on injuries related to sexual assault in Northern Ireland.

Supervisor Dr Tara Moore said: “The award of this prize for Pete’s research this year is clear recognition of the calibre and dedication of the student and the course team for the Forensic and Legal Medicine course at University of Ulster. We are extremely fortunate to have such experienced forensic medical officers from Northern Ireland willing to dedicate their time to students like Pete who have such enthusiasm to undertake this three year course and complete a MSc while also working as GPs and FMOs.”

Joint supervisor Dr Edward Goodall commented “Pete has wanted to undertake research in this area of forensic imaging since he first started this course three years ago and I am delighted that his hard work and effort has been recognised in this way by the Royal College of Physicians, Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine.”

The manuscript resulting from this project has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. The next step in this research is to develop and validate this new digital imaging system as a recognised method to capture watertight evidence that can be used in court. An additional contributor to this research was the internationally renowned forensic pathologist, Professor Austin Gresham of Cambridge University, who recently passed away. The authors would like to acknowledge the valuable guidance and support provided by Professor Gresham during this study.

In Dr Tara Moore we have a member of staff who excels when judged against these exacting requirements.

Tara has demonstrated commitment and enthusiasm for her subject, immunology. Immunology is a complex discipline which many students find challenging, but Tara’s zeal and truly dedicated and imaginative approach to her teaching has made this subject comprehensive for the undergraduate and postgraduate students that she has taught, both on campus and by distance learning. Her teaching is intrinsically linked with her research interests and activities and, in a very real and natural way she has been able to inform her teaching with cutting edge research.

In terms of innovation, several years ago, Tara undertook a fundamental review of the format of online teaching on the distance learning immunology module, which is a core module of the MSc programme in Biomedical Sciences. She introduced a more progressive means of teaching including online formative assessments and students being supported to attain a certain level before being able to progress to the next stages of the module. She also included video clips with voice-overs from some of the on-campus visiting lecturers to help to personalise the teaching material. This approach increased pass levels to over 99% with an average mark of >60%.

Tara has been a source of inspiration for her colleagues through her open enthusiasm and the energy she brings to her teaching as well as her obvious aspiration to achieve the highest standards in e-learning. As e-learning co-ordinator, with the School of Biomedical Sciences, Tara has worked with colleagues to implement the innovative e-tutor system helped organise e-tutor briefing days and designed e-tutor information manual. This e-tutor system is new to the University and is beginning to be implemented in other schools as best practice.

One of the strongest features of Tara’s work is her active participation in national and international learning and teaching developments in e-learning. These include her proposal for a new online programme in refraction surgery for ophthalmic surgeons, nurse practitioners, optometrists and refractive technicians which she has pioneered with collaborators from the USA. She has helped with a Learning & Teaching Support Network supported online programme for low vision teaching to optometrists. Additionally in her role as e-learning co-ordinator she has provided continued support for the MSc in Biomedical Sciences and is strongly involved in the MSc in Forensic Medicine.

In summary, Dr Tara Moore is an outstanding and inspiring teacher. Her flair and innovation have had a remarkable influence on the e-learning provision within the School of Biomedical Science. She models the concept of research informing teaching and is well respected for both amongst her local, national and international colleagues. She is undoubtedly a worthy candidate for a Distinguished Teaching and Fellowship Award.

He says that it is important that the user’s seat and PC screen are adjusted to the correct height to help position one’s upper lid to reduce the amount of tear evaporation and hence reduce or eliminate dry eye symptoms without the need for medication. The advice to ‘drink sensibly’ is usually taken to refer to a moderate approach to alcohol.

However, it is equally important to keep well hydrated in the modern air conditioned environment. This benefits both the health of the skin and also the ocular surface ensuring optimum tear production. In addition, a glass of water on the desk can help humidify the air within the immediate location of the computer user.

He adds: “If dry eyes are more severe, newer products are reaching the market to address most types of dry eye and help ensure that patients’ lifestyles are less affected by the modern environment where they live and work.” Researchers within the University of Ulster are currently undertaking a Phase III clinical trial for a new drug for Dry Eye treatment. Ulster is one of 30 centres across Europe involved in the research. Interested participants are required to visit the Mater Hospital Belfast or Cathedral Eye Clinic, University of Ulster, Belfast.

For further information on eye testing and treatments available visit www.cathedraleye.com

A state-of-the-art eye clinic, offering private and emergency healthcare to the public, has opened at the Belfast campus of the University of Ulster.

A team of experienced consultant ophthalmologists and optometrists at the new Cathedral Eye Clinic offers total eye-care, ranging from vision treatment to testing for medical conditions of the eye.

Joint Head of the new operation is Professor Johnny Moore, who is also a part-time consultant Ophthalmologist at the Royal Group of Hospitals and the Mater Hospital in Belfast.

Professor Moore explained: “We have four consultant ophthalmologists who are providing specialist expertise in laser and refractive cataract surgery, anterior segment surgery, medical and surgical retina and oculoplastic surgery. Importantly, they provide screening for all the major chronic ocular conditions such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and age related macular degeneration.”

Opening the clinic, Margaret Ritchie, the Minister for Social Development, welcomed the establishment of the hi-tech medical facility in the Cathedral Quarter. “This area’s future viability and sustainability depends on private sector investment in commercial and residential development,” she said.

“There is increasing momentum and change of mood in the area as private sector development activity increases and I commend this new eye clinic’s investment.”

The Cathedral Eye Clinic is actively involved with the University of Ulster in providing continual professional development short courses at the Belfast Campus. They are for GPs, ophthalmologists in training, optometrists, nurses and the general public.

Professor Moore says a unique feature of the Cathedral Eye Clinic will be its ability to avail of the latest research in ophthalmology conducted within Northern Ireland. The clinic is currently offering initial free assessments.

The clinic will be available to help Health and Social Service boards tackle eye-care waiting lists. Based in the new business units at York Street, it will provide emergency care for patients in the local community. An eye casualty service operates from 10am-7pm Monday to Friday and emergency appointments can be made by telephoning 028 90 322020.