In 2017, Rakoczy was awarded the Florey Medal for her human gene therapy trial to modify viruses for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration.
[2] She was the Research Director of the Lions Eye Institute and the Centre of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences between 1999-2009.
Her laboratory developed and sold the ’Kimba’ and ‘Akimba’ mouse models for advanced retinal neovascularization.
She pioneered secretion gene therapy or ‘biofactory’ for the treatment of wet age related macular degeneration.
Rakoczy was a Bede Morris fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1998 and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia ‘Ten of the Best’ award winner in 2005 and winner of the CSL Florey Medal in 2017 for her human gene therapy trial modifying viruses to treat wet age-related macular degeneration.