Assoc Prof Veluchamy Amutha Barathi

Assoc Prof Veluchamy A. Barathi, DVM, PhD, is Research Head and Principal Investigator at the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI). She is also Associate Professor at the Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS), and Duke-NUS Medical School.

A veterinarian and molecular biologist by training, Assoc Prof Barathi obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University and her PhD in Ophthalmology and Molecular Cell Biology from the National University of Singapore. Over the past two decades, she has established herself as an internationally recognised leader in translational ophthalmic research, with expertise spanning myopia, glaucoma, retinal degeneration, retinal vascular diseases, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, ocular infectious diseases, and advanced therapeutic development. Assoc Prof Barathi founded and leads SERI’s Translational Pre-Clinical Model Research Platform, one of the region’s leading ophthalmic translational research infrastructures, supporting drug discovery, IND-enabling studies, gene and cell therapies, medical devices, and advanced ocular therapeutics. Her work has been instrumental in the development and validation of preclinical models involving non-human primates, pigs, rabbits, rodents, guinea pigs, and avian species, facilitating successful translation of multiple therapies into clinical development and commercialisation.

She has authored more than 185 peer-reviewed publications, contributed 5 book chapters, delivered over 150 international conference presentations, and secured over US$110 million in competitive research funding from national agencies, foundations, and industry partners. Her collaborations span leading academic institutions, healthcare systems, and global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Beyond her scientific contributions, Assoc Prof Barathi serves as Chair of the SingHealth Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (SHS-IACUC), overseeing research governance and animal welfare across Singapore’s largest healthcare cluster. She is also a member of the SingHealth Institutional Biosafety Committee, SingHealth Duke-NUS Research Council, and the National Large Animal Research Facility User Committee.

In recognition of her scientific impact and leadership, Assoc Prof Barathi was named among the World’s Top 2% Scientists in the Elsevier-Stanford University rankings in 2024 and 2025 and received the Singapore National Day Award (Long Service Medal) in 2025.

• ​PhD (2006)
• DVM (1997)

• ​Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (2021 – Present)
• Member, NLARF User Committee (2018 – Present)
• Member & Subject Expert, SingHealth Biosafety Committee (IACUC) (2015 – Present)
• Ex-officio, SingHealth Duke-NUS Research Council (2015 – Present)
• Chairman, SingHealth Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) (2014 – Present)
• Member, Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (2007 – Present)
• Member, Singhealth Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) (2006 – 2014)

• Singapore National Day Awards Long Service Medal (2025)
• ​You Shine Award, Outstanding in National Large Animal Research Facility Administration/Operation & Veterinary Team, SingHealth (2017)
• Publish Award, SingHealth (2016)
• Novartis Research Prize, Oral-Outstanding, NHG 3rd International Ophthalmology Congress (2010)
• Novartis Research Prize, Oral-Outstanding, NHG 2nd International Ophthalmology Congress (2009)
• Novartis Research Prize, Outstanding, 1st SERI-ARVO Meeting on Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (2008)
• International Travel Award, The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) (2008)
• Short-term Fellowship Award, SingHealth (2007)
• Best Poster Prize, SALAS 2nd Fall Conference (2006)
• Young Investigator Award, Visual Science (Outstanding), 22nd Singapore-Malaysia Joint Meeting in Ophthalmology (2004)
• Young Investigator Award, Visual Science (Merit), 1st SERI-ARVO Meeting on Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (2003)
• Young Investigator Award, Visual Science (Merit), 20th Singapore-Malaysia Joint Meeting in Ophthalmology (2002)

• ​Phenotypic and Functional Study of Multiple-glaucoma Associated Gene Loci for Identification of Potential Glaucoma Drug Targets (2016 – Present)
• Development of Smart, Thermo-sensitive and Bio-degradable Hydrogel as an Ideal Internal Tamponading Agent during Vitreo-retinal Surgery (2015 – Present)
• Evaluation of Flow Dynamics in the Retinal/Choroidal Circulation and Assessment of Vitreous Characteristics in Animal Model of Diabetic Retinopathy (2013 – Present)
• Efficacy and Safety of Novel Antiangiogenic/Anti-inflammatory Compounds in Wet-AMD Rodents and Non-human Primate Models (2012 – Present)
• To Understand the Pathogenesis and Novel Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy and Ocular Surface Diseases (2010 - Present)
• Animal Models of Myopia: Gene and Environmental Interactions (2008 – Present)

1. Chen CJ, Zhou L, Chen HT, Barathi VA, Qiu B, Alli-Shaik A, Chia RN, Lim ST, Joo C, Cheung N, Chan CM, Koh SK, Tan A, Verma RK, Fan H, Song W, Virshup D, Gunaratne J, Wong TY, Cheung GCM, Hong W, Wang X. FRZB-induced Anti-angiogenic Effect via Caveolin-1-mediated TGFβ Signalling. Nature Communications. 2026. IF: 14.7.
2. Liu X, Jiang L, Ke M, Sigal IA, Chua J, Hoang QV, Chia AWI, Najjar RP, Tan B, Cheong J, Bellemo V, Chong RS, Girard MJA, Ang M, Liu M, Garhöfer G, Barathi VA, Saw SM, Villiger M, Schmetterer L. Posterior Scleral Birefringence Measured by Triple-input Polarization-sensitive Imaging as a Biomarker of Myopia Progression. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2023. IF: 29.2.
3. Zhao X, Seah I, Xue K, Wong W, Tan QSW, Ma X, Lin Q, Lim JYC, Liu Z, Parikh BH, Mehta KN, Lai JW, Yang B, Tran KC, Barathi VA, et al. Antiangiogenic Nanomicelles for the Topical Delivery of Aflibercept to Treat Retinal Neovascular Disease. Advanced Materials. 2021. IF: 27.4.
4. Tideman JWL, Pärssinen O, Haarman AEG, Khawaja AP, Wedenoja J, Williams KM, et al., Barathi VA, et al. Evaluation of Shared Genetic Susceptibility to High and Low Myopia and Hyperopia. JAMA Ophthalmology. 2021. IF: 8.3.
5. Lingam S, Liu Z, Yang B, Wong W, Parikh BH, Ong JY, Goh D, Wong DSL, Tan QSW, Tan GSW, Holder GE, Barathi VA, et al. CGMP-grade Human IPSC-derived Retinal Photoreceptor Precursor Cells Rescue Cone Photoreceptor Damage in Non-human Primates. Stem Cell Research & Therapy. 2021. IF: 7.1.
6. Liu Z, Parikh BH, Tan QSW, Wong DSL, Ong KH, Yu W, Seah I, Holder GE, Hunziker W, Tan GSW, Barathi VA, et al. Surgical Transplantation of Human RPE Stem Cell-derived RPE Monolayers into Non-human Primates with Immunosuppression. Stem Cell Reports. 2021. IF: 7.7.
7. Cheung CMG, Teo KYC, Tun SBB, Busoy JM, Barathi VA, Spaide RF. Correlation of Choriocapillaris Hemodynamic Data from Dynamic Indocyanine Green and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography. Scientific Reports. 2021. IF: 4.6.
8. Najjar RP, De La Barca JMC, Barathi VA, et al. Ocular Growth and Metabolomics are Dependent Upon the Spectral Content of Ambient White Light. Scientific Reports. 2021. IF: 4.6.
9. Liu Z, Parikh BH, Tan QSW, Wong DSL, Ong KH, Yu W, Seah I, Holder GE, Hunziker W, Tan GSW, Barathi VA, et al. Adult-human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Transplantation Supports Retinal Function in Non-human Primate Models. Cell Reports Medicine. 2020. IF: 11.7.
10. Nirmal J, Barathi VA+, Dickescheid A, et al. Potential of Subconjunctival Aflibercept in Treating Choroidal Neovascularization. Experimental Eye Research. 2020. IF: 3.0.
11. Tun SBB, Chua M, Hasan R, Köhler M, Zheng X, Ali Y, Abdulreda MH, Juntti-Berggren L, Barathi VA+, Berggren PO. Islet Transplantation to the Anterior Chamber of the Eye – A Future Treatment Option for Insulin-deficient Type-2 Diabetics. Cell Transplantation. 2020. IF: 4.3.
12. Liu Z, Liow SS, Lai SL, Alli-Shaik A, Holder GE, Parikh BH, Krishnakumar S, Li Z, Tan MJ, Gunaratne J, Barathi VA, et al. Retinal-detachment Repair and Vitreous-like-body Reformation via a Thermogelling Polymer Endotamponade. Nature Biomedical Engineering. 2019. IF: 29.2.
13. Tedja MS, Wojciechowski R, Hysi PG, Eriksson N, et al.; CREAM Consortium, Barathi VA. Genome-wide Association Meta-analysis Highlights Light-induced Signaling as a Driver for Refractive Error. Nature Genetics. 2018. IF: 31.7.
14. Fan Q*, Verhoeven VJ*, Wojciechowski R*, Barathi VA*, et al. Meta-analysis of Gene-environment-wide Association Scans Accounting for Education Level Identifies Additional Loci for Refractive Error. Nature Communications. 2016. IF: 14.7. (Recipient of SingHealth Publish Award 2016).
15. Regula JT, Lundh von Leithner P, Foxton R, Barathi VA, et al. Targeting Key Angiogenic Pathways with a Bispecific CrossMAb Optimized for Neovascular Eye Diseases. EMBO Molecular Medicine. 2016. IF: 14.5.
16. Natarajan JV, Darwitan A, Barathi VA, Ang M, Htoon HM, Boey F, Tam KC, Wong TT, Venkatraman SS. Sustained Drug Release in Nanomedicine: A Long-acting Nanocarrier-based Formulation for Glaucoma. ACS Nano. 2014. IF: 15.8.
17. Cheng CY, Schache M, Ikram MK, Young TL, Guggenheim JA, et al., Barathi VA, et al. Nine Loci for Ocular Axial Length Identified Through Genome-wide Association Studies, Including Shared Loci with Refractive Error. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2013. IF: 9.8.
18. Verhoeven VJ, Hysi PG, Wojciechowski R, Fan Q, Guggenheim JA, et al., Barathi VA, et al. Genome-wide Meta-analyses Identify Multiple New Susceptibility Loci for Refractive Error and Myopia. Nature Genetics. 2013. IF: 31.7.
19. Tran-Viet KN, Powell C, Barathi VA, et al. Mutations in SCO2 Are Associated with Autosomal-dominant High-grade Myopia. American Journal of Human Genetics. 2013. IF: 9.8.
20. Fan Q, Barathi VA, Cheng CY, Zhou X, et al. Genetic Variants on Chromosome 1q41 Influence Ocular Axial Length and High Myopia. PLoS Genetics. 2012. IF: 6.7.