Principal Investigator: Dr Alicja Rudnicka
Department: Population Health Sciences
Institution: St George's, University of London
Institution:
St George’s, University of London, Population Health Science
London SW17 0RE
Summary:
The focus of this proposal is to quantify the shape and size of retinal
vessels from the digital photographs of the retina. Recent studies have
also shown that retinal vessel width and tortuosity are associated with
cardiovascular risk factors from an early age, suggesting that these
measures may be early physio-markers of vascular health. We propose
to evaluate the distribution and determinants of these indicators of
vascular health and their relationship to the future onset of both fatal
and non-fatal disease.
A central purpose of UK Biobank is to identify predictors of future
disease, with a view to prevention, early detection, and selective clinical
management of high risk groups. Our proposal falls within this remit.
Drs Rudnicka, Owen and Barman (members of UK Biobank Eyes and
Vision Consortium) and have worked together on retinal images analysis
of a large dataset of child retinal images. Owen and Rudnicka are
investigators on an HTA funded project examining performance and cost
effectiveness for the NHS of automated diabetic retinal imaging
software.
The focus of this proposal is to:
i. Fully automate identification and quantification of vessels in retinal
images, including identification of arterioles and venules
ii. Examine cross-sectional determinants of retinal vessel size and shape
iii. Investigate the association between retinal vessel size and shape with
cardiovascular disease precursors, and future onset of both fatal and
non-fatal disease.
This research can be used to understand factors that influence the size
and shape of retinal vessels and their role in prediction of cardiovascular
risk / events. This project requires access to data only (not the biological
samples) but we wish to access data on biochemical markers and health
outcomes, as and when they become available.
