27 October 2026
A project that aims to develop a surgical robot for delivering retinal treatments has received a £2.2 million grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
While new treatments are under development for retinal vascular diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion, there are significant obstacles to delivering these treatments to retinal blood vessels.
The collaboration between researchers from King’s College London, Moorfields Eye Hospital and the University of Kent aims to overcome the challenges that come with manually delivering treatments into a blood vessel that is thinner than a human hair.
A statement from King’s College London highlighted that the robot under development is flexible – meaning that surgeons can approach the retina from different angles and reach blood vessels in ways that are not possible by hand.
The NIHR funding boost will enable the project team to test the safety, usability and performance of the robot in patients.
They will also expand the function of the robot so it can deliver drugs directly into retinal veins and prepare regulatory documentation.
Professor Christos Bergeles, head of surgical and interventional engineering research department at King’s College London, expressed his gratitude for the NIHR funding.
“This project will be the culmination of almost a decade of work across the partners, taking a robotic system from concept to first-in-patient evaluation,” he shared.
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