Professor of Artificial Medical Intelligence at University College London (UCL), Pearse Keane, has been awarded a US$250,000 Senior Investigator Grant by the Alcon Research Institute (ARI) in recognition of his contribution to ophthalmology and potential to lead further breakthroughs. Professor Keane is also a consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and director of the INSIGHT Health Data Research Hub Programme at Moorfields.
The ARI grant will allow Professor Keane and his research group at UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields to further their pioneering work on medical artificial intelligence (AI) models using retinal images to detect early signs of eye conditions and systemic disease.
In September 2023, Professor Keane’s group published RETFound, the world’s first AI foundation model for ophthalmology in the journal Nature. Trained on more than 1.6 million retinal images from Moorfields Eye Hospital and a small proportion of publicly available data, the complex system can accurately detect eye disease and predict the risk of systemic health conditions on diverse populations. RETFound can be fine-tuned for a diverse range of healthcare applications, and was made open source to advance global research into preventable blindness.
With the ARI funding, the group will embark on a project to develop RETFound-L, an enhanced AI system that brings together vision and large-language model approaches.
Development of RETFound-L will be supported by INSIGHT, the world's largest ophthalmic imaging bioresource.
Like its predecessor, the intention is to make RETFound-L open source and available to other researchers for non-commercial use, fostering global collaboration in the fight against blindness, and aligning with the ARI's goal of expanding the frontiers of vision sciences worldwide.
Chief Scientific Officer, Head of R&D and ARI Executive for Alcon, Franck Leveiller said: “Professor Keane joins the ranks of many distinguished scientists that have been recognized by the ARI over the past 40 years for their notable contributions to vision science. We are excited about the potential of RETFound-L to drive significant advancements in eye care and further our understanding of how AI can empower clinicians and researchers.”
Pearse Keane said: "We are honoured to receive this support from the Alcon Research Institute. RETFound-L could significantly improve the speed and accuracy of eye disease diagnosis, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes. This grant not only provides crucial funding but also connects us to a global network of vision science pioneers."
Click here to view the full list of grant recipients for 2024 published by the Alcon Research Institute.
About the Alcon Research Institute
Alcon, the global leader in eye care dedicated to helping people see brilliantly, founded the Alcon Research Institute in 1981. It is a virtual institute that plays a pivotal role in advancing eye health research globally. It identifies and supports exceptional researchers in vision science through grants and facilitates knowledge exchange via symposiums attended by leading figures in the eye research community.
About UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is one of a number of specialised research centres within UCL (University College London) and is, together with Moorfields Eye Hospital, one of the leading centres for eye research worldwide. The combination of the institute’s research with the resources of Moorfields Eye Hospital opens the way for advances at the forefront of vision research. Close collaboration with other academic partners and with industry extends its impact. The institute has been named as the best place to study ophthalmology in the 2017 Centre for World University Rankings (CWUR). For further information, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/ioo/. Follow @ucleye on Twitter.
About Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the leading providers of eye health services in the UK and a world class centre of excellence for ophthalmic research and education. Moorfields main focus is the treatment and care of NHS patients with a wide range of eye problems, from common complaints to rare conditions that require treatment not available elsewhere in the UK. Moorfields unique patient case-mix in serving 23 locations across Greater London, and the number of people we treat mean that our clinicians have expertise in discrete ophthalmic sub-specialties. The Trust also operate commercial divisions that provide care to private patients in both London and the Middle East.
Together with the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields is recognised as a leading centre of excellence in eye and vision research.
About the INSIGHT Health Data Research Hub
INSIGHT is the world's largest ophthalmic imaging bioresource, with over 35 million eye images linked to clinical data.
An NHS initiative led by Moorfields in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham, INSIGHT makes routinely collected patient eye data available for approved research that could lead to improvements in diagnosis, care and treatment of eye diseases, as well as systemic disease such as stroke and Alzheimer’s.
INSIGHT’s mission is to improve healthcare by making it simpler for researchers to use large, anonymised sets of patient data in a safe and ethical way.