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Vision Expo 2024 – Stand 3
Mitochondria and neurodegeneration
About our research
Our research investigates the role that mitochondria – the tiny powerpacks that supply our cells with energy – play in neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma, Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. We are finding new genetic variants in the mitochondrial DNA of glaucoma patients and also developing models of the retinal ganglion cells – which are affected in glaucoma – to understand how genetic changes affect the energy provided to cells by mitochondria affect vision.
What you’ll see
Watch our animation about how changes in the energy output of mitochondria could reduce optic nerve function and lead to vision loss.
Talk to us about
- How our work can help identify glaucoma patients with mitochondrial genetic markers that could suggest they need different approaches to glaucoma treatment
- Why we want to develop a robust cell model of the cells lost in glaucoma
- How our research can lead to new insights into other diseases of ageing, such as Parkinson’s disease.