Using gene therapy to investigate the pathways involved in AMD progression

Researcher looking at a computer with DNA and RPE cells

Dr Ioan Matei, Edgehill University - £24,943

Gene editing is a process by which the structure of a gene can be changed by modifying the DNA sequence. The technique used is called CRISPR Cas-9 and can be thought of as a pair of scissors that can cut out, swap around or add in parts of a gene.

What is the problem?

This project will investigate the role of the ageing process in vision decline, with the aim of identifying novel targets for further research into potential therapies. It will use gene editing to create a variety of models of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the cell layer that provides photoreceptors with nutrients, to examine what is happening at a molecular level in the progression of age-related macular degeneration.

What are they doing and how will this help?

This project will inject DNA modified by gene editing into RPE cells before subjecting the cells to stresses simulating conditions in the ageing eye. The team will then examine which gene edits allow the cells to perform better than others.