Mariya Moosajee

About Mariya Moosajee

Amongst her extensive research endeavors, Mariya Moosajee has focused on furthering our basic understanding of eye development and the molecular defects underlying congenital structural eye abnormalities (including microphthalmia, anophthalmia and ocular coloboma, also referred to as MAC conditions). She has revealed a common disease mechanism for microphthalmia, showing that different causative genes showed an increase in cell death and overproduction of extracellular matrix (ECM). Microphthalmic optic vesicles are encased with a rich ECM which prevents growth and further development; interestingly she found the opposite is true for myopia optic vesicles. This has implications for therapeutic strategies as reducing the encasement may allow for further growth, and vice versa for myopia interventions.

She is also leading several clinical trials, including the use of dual adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver the large ABCA4 gene to the retina in patients with molecularly confirmed Stargardt disease, and the use of antisense oligonucleotides to target common mutations in exon 13 of the USH2A gene. Her own lab research focused on developing novel treatments for inherited retinal diseases has led her to advance the use of non-viral gene therapy and lipid nanoparticles into larger animal model systems with a view to moving to clinical trials in the future. She has contributed to over 25 peer-reviewed publications over the past 12 months and was awarded the prestigious Lang Medal in October 2025 by the Royal Society of Medicine for her contribution to Ophthalmic Science. She is the second female and first woman of color to receive this coveted award.