Major US grant to aid Wollongong team's bid to prevent cataract surgery

24 October 2001

The Director of the Australian Cataract Research Foundation at the University of Wollongong, Associate Professor Roger Truscott, has been awarded a major grant from the National Institutes of Health (USA) to investigate the formation of human cataract.

The Aus$460,000 grant, over 3 years, will enable researchers in his team to study the fundamental mechanism that leads to clouding of the lens and is responsible for the majority of blindness in the world. At present, the cause of cataract is not known.

"The award of the grant recognises the pre-eminent world standing of the Wollongong team. Only a handful of grants are given to scientists outside of the USA," Associate Professor Truscott said.

"This is an exceptional result for my group, and for the University as a whole. We have for many years been supported by the NH&MRC, the Australian equivalent of the National Institutes of Health in the US, but this grant will enable us to expand our research into other vital areas.

"Our long-term goal is to find a drug treatment that will eliminate the need for surgery. At present this is the only treatment available for cataract, but surgery is traumatic for elderly patients and represents a large cost to the health system," he said.

Associate Professor Truscott has instigated numerous international collaborations with top groups overseas. For example, this year a medical graduate from the University of Sydney, Dr Richard McNulty, learned about the research at Wollongong and was so impressed that he enrolled to do a PhD at the University of Wollongong. At present, he is working with a co-supervisor, Professor Steven Bassnett, at Washington University in St Louis.

One of the major achievements in cataract research in the past decade has come from Associate Professor Truscott's team. As part of his PhD studies a student, Matthew Sweeney, demonstrated that a barrier to the movement of small molecules in the normal lens develops in middle age.

This barrier allows oxidation of proteins in the centre of the lens and thus cataract. This finding, together with another innovation from the Wollongong team that showed the important role of UV filters in the lens, has spawned a whole new area of eye research. "We clearly need to understand the impact of ageing on the normal human lens in order to chart the detailed mechanism of cataract that develops subsequently. Once we understand these ageing changes, we can hopefully develop strategies to prevent them," he said.

Some of this exciting research has been performed in collaboration with other scientists Professor Margaret Sheil, Associate Professor John Carver and Associate Professor Mark Walker (all from UOW) and Dr Joanne Jamie (formerly of UOW and now at Macquarie).

"Without access to sophisticated analytical instrumentation at UOW, that was purchased as a result of grants to these collaborators, the world-class research that led to the award of this grant would not have been possible, " Associate Professor Truscott said. "I must also thank the many exceptional PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in my group who really do the work! This grant is a recognition of their quality and dedication."

For further information contact Associate Professor Roger Truscott on 4221 3503.