Fields of Research (FoR)
Ophthalmology, Vision scienceSEO tags
Biography
Matthew Simunovic is a surgeon-scientist with clinical and research training in diseases of the retina. He is a Senior VMO in vitreoretinal surgery at Sydney Eye Hospital and the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Sydney and Adjunct Professor, Discipline of Surgery at UNSW. His research addresses the leading causes of irreversible blindness in children and adults via...view more
Matthew Simunovic is a surgeon-scientist with clinical and research training in diseases of the retina. He is a Senior VMO in vitreoretinal surgery at Sydney Eye Hospital and the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at the University of Sydney and Adjunct Professor, Discipline of Surgery at UNSW. His research addresses the leading causes of irreversible blindness in children and adults via translational research encompassing laboratory investigations through to clinical trials. Clinically, his interests include adult and paediatric medical retina and vitreoretinal surgery. Prof. Simunovic’s research on patients with inherited retinal disease led to the development of a computer-based test of colour discrimination which is currently in use at the National Institutes of Health, UCL/Moorfields Eye Hospital and the University of Oxford. He was the first vitreoretinal surgeon to perform approved retinal gene therapy in Australia (Luxturna) and he is the principal investigator of the Fight Inherited Retinal Blindness! Registry, which tracks real-world outcomes of this therapy. He leads the Retinal Disease and Rescue Group at the University of Sydney which is developing novel gene, cell and bioengineering approaches to vision restoration. To date, he has secured >$4 million in research funding as principal investigator. He is the first Australian ophthalmologist to be supported by a career development award from the Foundation Fighting Blindness, USA.
My Grants
As Principal Investigator
Year Award
2024 Rewarding Research Excellence University of Sydney
2023 NHMRC Equipment Grant High Density Micro Electrode Array
2023 Macula Society (USA)/International Retinal Research Foundation Award Bioglue for Retinal Detachment Repair
2022 NHMRC Ideas Grant Optogenetic restoration of high-sensitivity vision with ChRmine, a novel Type I opsin
2022 Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation Cell therapy via living-donor surgical retinal explants
2021 Macular Disease Foundation Australia - Optogenetic restoration of vision in macular degeneration with high-sensitivity Type I and Type II opsins
2020 Bayer Global Ophthalmology Awards Program Research Grant - Cone light adaptation as a biomarker for Müller cell dysfunction
2017-18 University of Sydney Medical School Foundation - Optogenetics for retinal degeneration
2016-21 Foundation Fighting Blindness Career Development Award - Structure, Function, Gene Therapy and Surgery in Retinal Dystrophies
2014/5 Bayer Global Ophthalmology Awards Program Clinical & Research Fellowship - Photoreceptor function following gene therapy for choroideremia
2014/5 RANZCO Eye Foundation Medical Retina Research Scholarship - Retinal structure and function following gene therapy for choroideremia
As Co-Principal Investigator
Year Award
2024 Australian Vision Research - Optogenetic restoration of high-sensitivity vision with a Type II opsin
2022-27 Medical Research Future Fund - Development of photoreceptor cell therapy to treat blindness (CIF)
2017-18 University of Sydney Research Excellence Initiative - Sydney Vision Initiative (CIH)
My Qualifications
MB BChir Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery with distinction - University of Cambridge
PhD Doctor of Philosophy - University of Cambridge
FRANZCO Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists
My Awards
Elected to the Macula Society, USA
Foundation Fighting Blindness Career Development Award
ARVO MIT Outstanding Poster Award, Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Travel Grant
Bayer Global Ophthalmology Awards Program Fellowship
RANZCO Eye Foundation/Novartis Retina Research Scholarship
RANZCO/Bayer Australia Scholarship
Sydney Eye Hospital Alumni Association Travelling Fellowship
Norman Rose Travelling Scholarship, Sydney Hospitallers
Foulkes Foundation Fellowship, The Foulkes Foundation
Department of Surgery Prize, University of Cambridge
The E.M. Burnett Prize for exceptional performance in final MB Medicine & Surgery, Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge
The Duke-Elder Examination Prize, Royal College of Ophthalmologists
The Patrick Trevor-Roper Award, Royal College of Ophthalmologists
The Wellcome Research Prize, The Wellcome Trust
The Dennis Dooley Prize in Clinical Anatomy, University of Cambridge
William Harvey Fund Bursary, University of Cambridge
The WD Wright Research Award, Colour Group of Great Britain
The Packer Scholarship, Cambridge Commonwealth Trust
The ORS Award, Higher Education Funding Council for England
Research Studentship, Cambridge Philosophical Society
My Research Activities
Optogenetics for vision restoration
Retinal biolgue for detachment repair
Retinal cell therapy
Experimental vitreoretinal surgery
Visual psychophysics
Clinical trials