About
Fleur O’Hare
Unit Manager – Retinal Gene Therapy
Fleur O’Hare is a clinician-researcher managing projects at CERA that focus on inherited retinal diseases.
Fleur O’Hare
Unit Manager – Retinal Gene Therapy
MPhil (Med) B.Orth (Hons)
Fleur O’Hare is an orthoptist with a background in medical research and public health. She is currently working within both CERA’s Retinal Gene Therapy Research Unit and Macular Research Unit. She is also the Senior Research Manager for the Vision Optimisation Group at the University of Melbourne.
Her early research work focused on understanding neurodegeneration in the context of sensory loss – encompassing vision, hearing and smell. Since then, Fleur’s research areas have spanned into patient support and education, low vision assessment and vision restoration therapies such as the Bionic Eye and gene therapy.
Fleur has been involved in clinical trial coordination and research management at CERA for many years. She has worked on groundbreaking studies such as the Bionic Eye project and now, more recently, in fostering research into inherited retinal diseases.
One of her main projects seeks to better understand the different types of inherited retinal diseases through a natural history study. Fleur also plays a pivotal role on a number of industry-sponsored clinical trials, including exciting new gene therapy treatments.
Current projects
Selected publications
Key collaborators
Funding and support
Current projects
- Natural history study of inherited retinal diseases: observational study collecting and analysing information to characterise patterns of disease over time
- Neuroprotection therapy for patients with Usher Syndrome: clinical treatment trial investigating the safety and efficacy of this therapy in patients with Usher Syndrome
- Gene therapy for select inherited retinal diseases such as X-linked forms of inherited disease
- Gene therapy for age-related macular degeneration associated with geographic atrophy (dry AMD)
Selected publications
O’Hare F, Edwards TE, Hu M et al. An Optometrist’s Guide to the Top Candidate Inherited Retinal Diseases for Gene Therapy. Accepted for publication in Clinical and Experimental Optometry October 2020.
Hu M, Edwards TE, O’Hare F et al. Gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases: progress and possibilities. Accepted for publication in Clinical and Experimental Optometry November 2020.
Bentley SA, O’Hare F, Murphy GC et al. Psychosocial Assessment of Potential Retinal Prosthesis Recipients. Clinical & Experimental Optometry. 2019; 102(5): 506-512.
O’Hare F, Flanagan Z, Nelson M et al. Comparing two methods for delivering clinical trial information to older adults; singular versus stepped approach. Submitted to Clinical Trials Journal July 2018; 15(6): 610-615).
See more publications
Key collaborators
- Dr Lauren Ayton – Vision Optimisation Unit, Departments of Optometry and Vision Sciences and Surgery (Ophthalmology).
Funding and support
Thank you to the following organisations for their support:
- NHMRC
- CASS Foundation
- University of Melbourne
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