ProfessorMark Gillies

Professor Mark Gillies is a world-renowned specialist in medical retinal disease. He is Director of the Clinical Trials Unit at the Save Sight Institute, the University of Sydney, Head of the Medical Retina Unit at Sydney Eye Hospital, and has directed the Macula Research Group (MRG) since 1998. His research focuses on the causes and treatment of retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and macular telangiectasia (MacTel). He pioneered steroids for diabetic retinopathy and conducted the first trial of intravitreal injections for any eye disease. He has also developed one of the world’s most advanced internet-based platforms for tracking real-world treatment outcomes in macular disease, the Fight Retinal Blindness! (FRB!) Project, with hundreds of active contributors worldwide. His lab studies outer retinal metabolism and Muller cell biology with a major interest in the pathogenesis of MacTel type 2. Professor Mark Gillies was the first Australian ophthalmologist to be awarded a PhD, which he received for his work on diabetic retinopathy at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers, is supported by an NHMRC Investigator Grant, and has supervised over 15 PhD and MD students, many now in academic and clinical leadership worldwide. He has appeared on numerous occasions in national media (Evening News of all major networks, ABC radio as local expert, see also attached copy of article in The Australian) to lobby for Government support for Photodynamic Therapy around 2000-1 (granted 2002), public education on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.