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Current NHS consultant posts held

Consultant Ophthalmologist at the Oxford Eye Hospital and Honorary Consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital

Research interests

Clinical and laboratory research is dedicated to finding new treatments for blindness, particularly in patients with incurable retinal diseases. Includes developing gene therapy with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors in the lab and in forthcoming clinical trials.

A clinical research program in artificial vision with bio-genetic and electronic devices. Developing new eye surgery techniques for age-related macular degeneration, cataract and macular hole surgery.

Personal interests

Prior to ophthalmology, Robert was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps. He saw active service as a Section Commander with 16 Armoured Field Ambulance and latterly served as the Surgeon Major to the Honourable Artillery Company in London. He remains a keen supporter of the military and provides concessions for former service personnel. In 2004 he was awarded the Volunteer Reserves Service Medal (VR) and in 2011 he was appointed as Civilian Consultant Advisor to the Royal Navy.

Awards received

2020 Lang Lecture and Medal, Royal Society of Medicine
2020 Senior Investigator Award, National Institute for Health Research
2019 Clinical Service of the Year Award, the Macular Society
2019 Keeler Lecture and Medal, Royal College of Ophthalmologists
2019 Gold Clinical Excellence Award for NHS service delivery
2018 Sir Adrian Cadbury Lecture and Medal, Midland Ophthalmological Society
2018 American Academy of Ophthalmology Achievement award

Publications

Initial results from a first-in-human gene therapy trial on X-linked retinitis pigmentosa caused by mutations in RPGR.
Cehajic-Kapetanovic J. et al, (2020), Nature Medicine, 26, 354 - 359

Beneficial effects on vision in patients undergoing retinal gene therapy for choroideremia.
Xue K. et al, (2018), Nature Medicine, 24, 1507 - 1512

First-in-human study of the safety and viability of intraocular robotic surgery.
Edwards TL. et al, (2018), Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2, 649 - 656

Long-term restoration of visual function in end-stage retinal degeneration using subretinal human melanopsin gene therapy.
De Silva SR. et al, (2017), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114, 11211 - 11216

Visual Acuity after Retinal Gene Therapy for Choroideremia.
Edwards TL. et al, (2016), N Engl J Med, 374, 1996 - 1998

Rescue of the Stargardt phenotype in Abca4 knockout mice through inhibition of vitamin A dimerization.
Charbel Issa P. et al, (2015), Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 112, 8415 - 8420

Retinal gene therapy in patients with choroideremia: initial findings from a phase 1/2 clinical trial.
MacLaren RE. et al, (2014), Lancet, 383, 1129 - 1137

Reversal of end-stage retinal degeneration and restoration of visual function by photoreceptor transplantation.
Singh MS. et al, (2013), Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 110, 1101 - 1106

Retinal repair by transplantation of photoreceptor precursors.
MacLaren RE. et al, (2006), Nature, 444, 203 - 207