Professor Marcela Votruba

Professor Marcela Votruba, Consultant Ophthalmologist and Professor of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Wales and Cardiff University  

Marcela is a clinician scientist specialising in ophthalmic genetics, especially neuro-ophthalmology and retina. She is the Health and Care Research Wales Ophthalmology Specialty Lead and a member of the UK NIHR Specialty Group for Ophthalmology. She is a former Head of the School of Vision Science at Cardiff University (2014-2019), runs the ophthalmic genetics service in Cardiff.

Marcela trained at Bristol and Moorfields Eye Hospitals and undertook Fellowships in ophthalmic genetics with Paul Sieving at Kellogg Eye Centre and the National Eye Institute, NIH, USA, and Alan Bird at Moorfields Eye Hospital, UK. Marcela is a former Consultant at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London. She was awarded her PhD in human molecular genetics from UCL in 1999, on autosomal dominant optic atrophy, identifying the first nuclear gene OPA1 gene causing autosomal dominant optic atrophy.  

Her translational research focus is on the mitochondrial optic neuropathies, and she leads the Mitochondria & Vision Group (Cardiff University). Her interests include understanding the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in retinal ganglion cell loss. Her total external grant funding is over £4.5 million, and she has published over 110 papers and supervised many PhD students.  She conducts cell and molecular research (including animal models) and investigator led and commercial clinical trials. Her interests include advanced cell and gene therapies. She is a passionate advocate for patients with rare diseases and the development of novel therapies for inherited eye disease.

In the news: 

Support and Delivery Event 2023 poster gallery (March 2023)

Health and Care Research Wales invests in leaders across Wales to shape the research of the future (April 2022)