Developing diagnostics
23 April 2009
A team led by Professor Maria Cordeiro at University College London has received £1.1 million to conduct an early clinical trial on a novel way to spot early signs of glaucoma. The technique takes advantage of the optical properties of the eye to visualise dying nerve cells directly.
Dr Louise Kenny from University College Cork and Professor Phil Baker from the University of Manchester have received an award of £556 000 to develop a new test for women at risk of pre-eclampsia. There is currently no accurate screening method available for the condition, a serious disorder that can develop during pregnancy.
The team has identified 45 substances in the plasma of women who develop pre-eclampsia, and will conduct a study on 3000 women to narrow these 45 down to those that could form the basis of a reliable test.
Image credit: Fiona Pragoff