Collecting of tissues to generate a picture of the ageing eye

Dr Amanda-Jayne Carr, UCL - £15,405

This research project uses a cutting-edge multi-omics approach to study how ageing affects the eye. By integrating data on genes, proteins, RNA, and metabolites, the research aims to build a complete picture of cellular changes in the ageing eye.

What is the problem?

Multi-omics is an integrated approach that combines data from multiple biological areas – such as genomics (the study of genetic material), transcriptomics (the study of RNA), proteomics (the study of proteins), and metabolomics (the study of metabolites) – to provide a comprehensive view of a biological system.

By creating a complete picture from genes to metabolites, multi-omics reveals complex interactions and mechanisms in health and disease that single "-omics" studies can miss. This combined approach gives researchers deeper insights into cellular functions, how diseases develop, and potential targets for new therapies.

What are they doing?

Dr Carr and her team are contributing to the MRC Ageing Cluster, a UK-wide collaboration mapping how ageing affects tissues throughout the body. Their focus is on the eye, linking whole-body health data with molecular changes in ocular tissues.

How can this help?

This seed funding will support the storage of eye tissues in a centralised collection, making them available for future collaborative research. These samples will help scientists investigate how ageing impacts the eye and identify potential strategies to protect vision.