Biography
May Griffith is a full professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Université de Montréal; she holds the Caroline Durand Foundation Chair in Cellular Therapy for Eye Diseases at the Université de Montréal and the Canada Research Chair in Biomaterials and Stem Cells in Ophthalmology (Tier 1). Dr. Griffith’s research interest is in biomaterials and tissue engineering for regenerative medicine. Her primary focus is on facilitating bench-to-bedside research. She and her multi-national, interdisciplinary team have completed two successful bench-to-bedside clinical trials in corneal regeneration, published in Science Translational Medicine and NPJ Regenerative Medicine. She is now working on an injectable LiQD Cornea that will allow the repair of corneal ulcers, cuts, and perforations that can potentially circumvent the need for corneal transplantation to address the severe shortfall in donor corneal transplantation that had left millions of corneal blind patients on waiting lists and many more who have no access to transplantation. The Griffith team also collaborates with researchers working to regenerate compromised corneas and more complex organs due to infection and inflammation.
Dr. Griffith has been coordinating a multidisciplinary global team of researchers from diverse backgrounds to work together to solve complex problems. Her corneal research has led to several significant partnerships between academia and industry, invitations to participate in and speak at international ophthalmology conferences and meetings, and numerous awards. Her biomimetic materials are also being tested in other organ systems. Dr. Griffith is a PI on an NSERC CREATE training grant from University of Ottawa.