Robin Ali

Robin Ali, PhD, FMedSci, is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Michigan's Kellogg Eye Center and Professor of Human Molecular Genetics/Director of the Centre for Cell and Gene Therapy at King's College London, specializing in translational therapies for retinal disorders.

His academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Genetics, University College London (1993)
• Postdoctoral training in Transgenic Mouse Models of Disease, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London (1994)

Dr. Ali pioneered retinal gene therapy with landmark achievements: first demonstration of efficient retinal gene delivery (1996), first proof of gene therapy efficacy in retinal dystrophy models (2000), and first clinical trial for retinal dystrophy (2008/2015). His current work at Kellogg focuses on gene therapies for Leber congenital amaurosis (RPE65, RDH12), achromatopsia (CNGB3), and X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (RPGR), alongside stem cell approaches for Stargardt disease and AMD. He collaborates with Drs. Thompson, Heckenlively, Gardner, and Rao to expand treatments to diabetic retinopathy and advanced degeneration.

His team established foundational stem cell work including first proof-of-concept for photoreceptor transplantation (2006), vision restoration in murine models (2012), and scalable photoreceptor derivation from embryonic stem cells (2013), driving current efforts toward clinical translation for end-stage retinal diseases.