Photo of Professor Simon Harding

Professor Simon Harding MB ChB, FRCS, FRCOphth, MD, MBE

Chair Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist Eye & Vision Sciences

Research

Detection, prevention and treatment of retinal diseases

My research interests are focussed on the early detection and medical management of retinal diseases particularly in relation to diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. I lead research programmes in screening and grading, treatment development, imaging, clinical trials and techniques for the assessment of retinal structure and function. I have applied my research experience to the study of the eye in cerebral malaria.
With colleagues in the Department of Eye and Vision Science I am developing internal and external collaborations in laboratory studies including segmentation and analysis algortims for image analysis of retinal images and the biology of retinal vascular cells.

Research Group Membership

Research Grants

Malarial Retinopathy Screening System for Improved Diagnosis of Cerebral Malaria (VisionQuest Phase3 )

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (USA)

April 2022 - March 2023

Liverpool Digital Platform for Eye Data

LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST (UK)

July 2023 - June 2026

Predicting Acute and Post-Recovery Outcomes in Cerebral Malaria by Optical Coherence Tomography

WELLCOME TRUST (UK)

April 2022 - March 2026

Developing implementation of ISDR variable-interval risk-based screening for diabetic retinopathy - external validation, implementation protocols and failsafe systems

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

July 2020 - December 2021

Quantifying and characterising the impact of diabetic retinophathy in the UK biobank cohort (Biobank reading centre)

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST (UK)

November 2016 - December 2020

Reading Centre, VICI

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST (UK)

January 2017 - March 2019

studentship 1058475037

KING SAUD UNIVERSITY (SAUDI ARABIA)

October 2018 - March 2023

The Relationship Between Diabetic Neuropathy and Diabetic Retinopathy in a Large Population-Based Study in Liverpool: A Focus on the Under Diagnosis of Diabetic Neuropathy

LCCG - LIVERPOOL CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP (UK)

January 2019 - October 2019

Introducing personalised risk based intervals in screening for diabetic retinopathy: development, implementation and assessment of safety, cost-effectiveness and patient experience.

ROYAL LIVERPOOL AND BROADGREEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST (UK)

April 2016 - March 2017

Individualised screening for diabetic retinopathy (ISDR) cohort study

ROYAL LIVERPOOL AND BROADGREEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST (UK)

December 2016 - April 2020

Malarial retinopathy screening system for improved diagnosis of cerebral malaria

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH (USA)

June 2014 - May 2016

OCT in Africa Phase 1

UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER (UK)

January 2016 - June 2017

Clinical Development of an Ultrasensitive OCT Device to Improve the Management of Eye Disease

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

November 2017 - July 2022

Clinical Efficacy and Mechanistic Evaluation of Aflibercept for Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Efficacy and Mechanistic Evaluation of Aflibercept for Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy A Multicentre Phase llb Randomised Active-Controlled Clinical Trial (CLARITY Reading Centre)

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY BELFAST (UK)

August 2014 - June 2018

Defining Post Ebola Virus Disease Ophthalmic Sequelae and Opportunities for Intervention

BAYER CORPORATION (USA)

August 2016 - December 2018

A virtual trial of follow up in the community setting versus hospital eye clinics in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with drugs targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF drugs) (ECHoES)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

January 2013 - June 2014

IVAN:Five year observational follow-up of the IVAN trial cohort: a study of function and morphology

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

October 2015 - February 2018

Establishing a real time data platform for whole population health research in diabetes and diabetic retinopathy

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

January 2018 - March 2018

Introducing personalised risk based intervals in screening for diabetic retinopathy: development, implementation and assessment of safety, cost-effectiveness and patient experience (ISDR study)

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

February 2013 - April 2021

EUROCONDOR

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

March 2012 - June 2016

Transplantation of IPE beneath the neuroretina in ARMD.

ROYAL LIVERPOOL AND BROADGREEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST (UK)

September 2003 - August 2006

Regulation of proteolysis in the retinal pigment epithelium of the eye and its significance for age-related macular degeneration

FOUNDATION FOR THE PREVENTION OF BLINDNESS (UK), ROYAL LIVERPOOL AND BROADGREEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST CHARITABLE FUNDS (UK)

December 2009 - November 2014

The Retinal Microvasculature in Cerebral Malaria in African Children

WELLCOME TRUST (UK)

January 2011 - May 2015

Discriminant Function Analysis for Longitudinal Data: Applications in Medical Research (DiALog)

MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

October 2014 - September 2017

A Multicentre Prospective Phase III double-masked Randomised Controlled Non-Inferiority Trial comparing the relative clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of intravitreal therapy with bevacizumab (Avastin) vs ranibizumab (Lucentis) vs aflibercept (Eylea) for Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO). [LEAVO]

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

October 2014 - September 2019

Early Detection in Macular Disease (EDiMaD)

DUNHILL MEDICAL TRUST (UK)

October 2013 - March 2017

Ultrasensitive OCT Imaging for Eye Disease

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE (UK)

February 2015 - January 2019

Development of effective algorithms of deblurring fundus images for improving diagnosis and management of retinal disease

ROYAL LIVERPOOL AND BROADGREEN UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS NHS TRUST (UK)

February 2010 - January 2013

Living with age-related macular degeneration treatment

MACULAR DISEASE SOCIETY (UK)

October 2010 - May 2012

Sleep Mask pilot production capability development, and safety trials of a home based treatment and monitoring model as a primary care intervention for Diabetic Retinopathy and Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

INNOVATE UK (UK)

July 2012 - July 2015

Research Collaborations

Prof Robert Heyderman

Internal

collaboration in retinal microvasculature in cerebral malaria in african children with Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Clinical Research Programme

Prof Juan Grunwald

External: University of Pennsylvania

collaboration on blood flow in retinal disease

Prof Marilyn James

External: University of Nottingham

health economics in screening for diabetic retinopathy

Prof Mark Gabbay

Internal

Development of programme grant in screening for diabetic retinopathy

Dr Frans Coenen

Internal

trend mining in large datasets in diabetic retinopathy

Prof Alister Craig

Internal

Host parasite interactions in cerebral malaria

Prof Charles Riva

External: Universita di Bologna

Studies of ocular blood flow in neurovascular and retinal disease

Prof David Wong

External: Hong Kong University

Development of joint projects in diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, animal research, cell biology, clinical research, epidemiology

Prof Benedetto Falsini

External: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

electrophysiology of the eye in cerebral malaria

Dr Richard White

External: Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust

optic nerve head blood flow in intracranial hypertension and neurovascular diseases

Dr Benno Petrig

External: University of Indiana, Bloomington, Indiana, US

Ocular blood flow in neurovascular and retinal disease

Prof Asoke Nandi

Internal

image analysis in diabetic retinopathy

Dr Marta Garcia-Finana

Internal

statistical analysis of large datasets in age-related macular degeneration

Prof Malcolm Molyneux

Internal

the eye in cerebral malaria

Prof Barnaby Reeves

External: University of Bristol

Verteporfin Cohort Study and IVAN study - two large multicentre HTA funded clinical trials

Prof Usha Chakravarthy

External: University of Belfast

verteporfin cohort study, IVAN study, two large HTA funded clinical trials

Prof TerrieTaylor

External: Michigan State University

eye in cerebral malaria