Occuity Celebrates Prestigious £1.6m UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship Awarded to Dr. Emily J. Patterson

Occuity Secures Second Future Leaders Fellowship Award

Occuity is thrilled to announce that Dr. Emily J. Patterson has been awarded a prestigious Future Leaders Fellowship (FLF) from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The £1.6 million grant will span over five years, supporting Dr. Patterson’s groundbreaking project on the dynamics of myopia : "Mynamic Project". This fellowship will leverage Occuity’s innovative AX1 and PM1 devices to collect extensive data over time, potentially leading to significant discoveries in eye health and beyond.

Dr. Emily J. Patterson awarded a prestigious Future Leaders Fellowship from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
£1.6 million grant spanning five years.
Supports the “Mynamic Project”, investigating the dynamics of myopia using Occuity’s AX1 and PM1 devices.

About the Future Leaders Fellowships:

UKRI’s Future Leaders Fellowships are designed to support the most promising early-career researchers and innovators. The programme provides long-term funding and training to develop ambitious, transformative ideas, enabling researchers to transcend disciplinary boundaries and bridge the gap between academia and industry. Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive of UKRI, stated, "The fellows announced today demonstrate how these awards continue to drive excellence, and to shorten the distance from discovery to prosperity and public good."

Dr. Emily J. Patterson's "Mynamic Project": Investigating the Dynamics of Myopia

Dr. Patterson’s project aims to explore the reciprocal relationships between ocular structures and visual function. Utilising a combination of psychophysical and biometric measurements, high-resolution retinal imaging, and genomic sequencing, the project seeks to uncover the mechanisms behind myopia onset and progression. This innovative research will also explore non-invasive therapeutic approaches, potentially revolutionising myopia management.

The Importance of Myopia Research

Myopia, commonly known as short-sightedness, is a rapidly escalating global epidemic. By 2050, 50% of the world's population is predicted to be myopic, with nearly 1 billion individuals suffering from high myopia. Myopia increases the risk of severe conditions such as myopic maculopathy, retinal detachment, cataracts, and glaucoma, all of which can lead to blindness.

Dr. Patterson expressed her enthusiasm for the project saying:

"Myopia is often viewed simply as an inconvenience – the need to update your glasses or contact lenses every year or so. But the fact that the eye is stretching, and its long-term impact on vision, is vastly underappreciated. I’m beyond thrilled to be awarded an FLF that will allow me to give this global health concern the attention it deserves!"

"We are immensely proud of Emily for securing this prestigious fellowship," said Dr. Dan Daly, CEO of Occuity. "Her project is groundbreaking and comes at a time when interest in myopia research is soaring. The potential impact of her work on both clinical practice and commercial innovation is enormous. No one has undertaken a study like hers before, and we are excited to support her in this pioneering endeavour.”

Dr. Daly continued:

“We are also incredibly proud to now have two Future Leaders Fellows in the business, with Dr. Alistair Bounds being our first. This demonstrates the calibre of talent we are attracting and the growing interest in Occuity and our work in oculomics."

Further Information:

About Dr. Emily J. Patterson

Senior Vision Scientist

Dr. Emily J. Patterson is a Senior Vision Scientist at Occuity. Having recently secured a highly competitive Future Leaders Fellowship from UKRI, she now leads innovative research on myopia – a major global health concern.

Emily’s varied career trajectory, spanning both continents and disciplines, has enabled her to gain a wealth of specialised knowledge, skills, and practical experience. Throughout her fellowship, she will utilise her expertise on the eye, vision, and imaging to conduct holistic and comprehensive research on the mechanisms underlying eye growth.

In addition to Emily’s impressive record of more than 20 scientific publications, she has also received international recognition through the receipt of several awards, grants, and conference invitations. She maintains an active commitment to the scientific community through leadership positions in the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the Colour Group GB.

Email: emily.patterson@occuity.com

About Occuity

Occuity’s mission is to improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people by creating revolutionary new screening and monitoring devices for some of humanity's greatest healthcare challenges, such as myopia, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

Occuity specialises in the development of non-invasive optical devices for disease screening and monitoring and is a leader in the burgeoning field of Oculomics – using the eye as a window on the health of the body. Focused on enhancing health understanding through the eye, the company is at the forefront of creating solutions that aid in early disease detection and improved disease management.

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