Glaucoma is the world's leading cause of irreversible blindness, with more than 80 million people affected worldwide. Often progressing silently, it is frequently only detected once permanent vision loss has occurred.
Against this backdrop, the Snow Vision Accelerator (SVA) launched one year ago with an ambitious goal: to accelerate breakthroughs to fight glaucoma. Established through a groundbreaking partnership between the Snow Medical Research Foundation and the University of Sydney, the SVA brings together leading researchers, clinicians and scientists to uncover bold new ways to protect the optic nerve and prevent vision loss.
Among the latest researchers to join the SVA is Professor Mathias "Mat" François, whose research combines vascular biology, neuroscience and cutting-edge single-molecule imaging to tackle diseases such as glaucoma. In addition to uncovering how blood vessel dysfunction drives neuronal damage, Mat brings a powerful technology platform that enables direct measurement of drug–target engagement at the single-molecule level. This capability is expected to strengthen SVA's therapeutic discovery pipeline, support new industry partnerships and provide a foundation for future commercialisation opportunities.
We caught up with Mat to learn about his research journey and what he hopes to achieve through this unique collaboration.
Can you tell us a bit more about your research background?
My background is in developmental biology, where I study embryo development and how gene expression controls the formation of blood and lymphatic vessels. We use preclinical models to understand these molecular mechanisms. Over time, I became particularly interested in transcription factors, which act as molecular ‘switches,’ turning genetic programs on and off during development.
That work naturally led me into drug discovery. These switches were traditionally considered undruggable, but we started developing a small chemical compound that can enter the cell and interact directly with the proteins. In our case, we designed these compounds to block those switches. Developing them involved first understanding how the switch works at a molecular level, then designing and testing many candidate compounds to find those that can safely and effectively interfere with its function. These discoveries led to a spin out biotech company (Gertrude Biomedical Pty Ltd, Bio21, Melbourne) established in 2019 to develop a new kind of anti-cancer drug.
More broadly, my research program focuses on how these developmental pathways are reactivated in disease, particularly in vascular conditions, and how we can translate that understanding into new therapeutic approaches, including repurposing existing drugs to help patients with rare vascular conditions.
The SVA offered a unique opportunity to apply my capabilities in a translational setting to strengthen and accelerate therapeutic development, especially for a disease with the severity and scale as glaucoma.
Professor Mathias Francois
What motivated you to join the University of Sydney and take on the role as principal investigator for the SVA?
Earlier in my career, I spent time overseas and saw how far ahead the United Kingdom was in genomics. That experience motivated me to focus on this area and contribute to bringing advanced imaging techniques to Australia. Through this work, I recognised the potential of technologies that allow us to directly observe drug interactions within living cells. I was drawn to the University of Sydney in 2024, to work with Professor Antoine van Oijen, one of the world’s leading researchers in single molecule science. We had crossed paths previously through our respective work in single molecule technologies, and those interactions highlighted a strong opportunity to further develop this capability at the University. More broadly, the research environment and momentum in this space made Sydney an especially compelling place to be.
In 2025, when the Snow Vision Accelerator program was set up, I was interested in the program due to my background in molecular imaging and drug discovery. The SVA offered a unique opportunity to apply my capabilities in a translational setting to strengthen and accelerate therapeutic development, especially for a disease with the severity and scale as glaucoma.
Created from live-cell imaging data, this image maps the movement of thousands of individual proteins that regulate gene expression. The colourful tracks reveal the complex and dynamic processes that control the living genome. Image credit: Courtesy Professor Mathias Franois
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LinkWhat excites you most about joining the SVA?
My lab specialises in vascular biology, while the Snow program focuses on neurons and glia in the retina and optic nerve and of course, glaucoma. There is a direct connection between defective blood vessels and neurons in the eye, and this biological overlap is exciting - it creates a natural space to integrate our expertise.
This opportunity to combine vascular biology and neurobiology can generate real synergy and discover new avenues for understanding disease mechanisms and advancing therapeutic strategies. The program brings together teams focused on understanding the biology of the disease and translational innovation, which creates multiple ways for us to contribute.
What is the biggest challenge in developing new treatments for diseases like glaucoma, and how can your research help address it?
One of the biggest challenges is identifying the right biological target. In complex diseases like glaucoma, many pathways are disrupted, but it is not always clear which changes are driving the disease versus those that are secondary effects. When you bring together areas like vascular biology and neurobiology, there is also a risk of spreading too thin, so it is critical to stay focused on the key mechanisms involved.
My research can help address this and connect the dots across biological scale by using single molecule imaging to directly observe how potential drugs interact with their targets inside living cells. This means we can quickly determine whether a treatment is working as intended and prioritise the most promising candidates, making the discovery process more efficient. With my background in drug discovery and repurposing, we can also look for existing, approved drugs that may be effective in new contexts. By matching these drugs to the underlying biology of the disease, we have the potential to accelerate the development of new treatments for conditions like glaucoma.
In a perfect world, what could your research achieve at SVA?
In a perfect scenario, we would demonstrate that the imaging capability we bring can directly test how drugs engage with their targets and, by doing so, help programs save resources and fast-track discovery. Being able to show clearly which compounds are working and which are not would allow teams to make better decisions earlier in the pipeline, which is a key milestone for success.
Beyond that, the platform is not limited to a single condition. Because it focuses on how a drug performs on its target, it can be applied across a wide range of eye diseases. That means the impact could extend well beyond one area, helping to accelerate the development of new treatments more broadly.
Professor Jonathan Guy Crowston, Director of the Snow Vision Accelerator, says the appointment of Mat marks an exciting step forward in accelerating breakthroughs that could transform outcomes for people living with glaucoma.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Professor Mathias Francois to the Snow Vision Accelerator at this important stage,” he says.
“We’re excited about how his expertise and cutting-edge tools will help accelerate discoveries into real therapies that can protect vision.”
Looking ahead, the SVA is striving to shift how complex eye diseases like glaucoma are tackled. Through an integrated pipeline spanning discovery to clinical trials, the program aims to bring together multidisciplinary expertise, strengthened by collaborations with leading global institutions with access to the latest science, advanced models and validation methods.
With researchers like Professor Francois joining the effort, the Accelerator is unlocking new possibilities and reshaping the future of sight preservation.
For more information regarding the Snow Vision Accelerator, visit the website.