Journal of Genetic Syndromes & Gene Therapy
Open Access
ISSN: ISSN: 2157-7412
ISSN: ISSN: 2157-7412
Michelle E McClements
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Michelle's background is in molecular biology and genetics and her early career interests focused on investigations into the genetic causes of rare inherited retinal diseases. Since joining the University of Oxford on a Fight for Sight Junior Fellowship with St Cross College in 2010, she has progressed from trying to discover the causes of inherited retinal diseases to the treatment of such disorders. Michelle is currently the lead researcher on an MRC-funded project to develop an adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy treatment for Stargardt disease, the most common cause of inherited childhood blindness. Stargardt disease is a progressive form of macular degeneration and so affects cells important for our central field of vision. Michelle's research aims to generate the pre-clinical data required to achieve a clinical trial for this gene therapy treatment over the next few years.
clinical genetics and molecular biology, inherited retinal diseases