Mechanisms of the protective effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acids and carotenoids in age-related macular degeneration
EMSL Project ID
60566
Abstract
The goal of the proposed project is to deepen our understanding of the lipid pathways involved in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and the protective effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acids (3FA) and carotenoids, using a unique nonhuman primate (NHP) model. AMD is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in the elderly, with its advanced forms causing disabling loss of central vision. AMD affects 25% of those 75 years or older. The “dry” or atrophic form accounts for 90% of cases and has no effective treatment. Nonhuman primates (NHPs) provide the best model of this disease, being the only animals with a retinal structure nearly identical to humans, including the presence of a macula and a fovea underlying high acuity vision. Furthermore, rhesus macaques develop deposits under the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) called drusen that are the hallmark of early dry AMD, and this syndrome shares genetic risk factors with the human disease. Drusen deposits are lipid-rich, but the mechanisms controlling their formation are not well understood.
Project Details
Start Date
2022-08-10
End Date
N/A
Status
Active
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members