Collaborative learning with the Seahorse Bioanalyser
23 July 2024
The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology promotes collaboration by sharing state-of-the-art equipment across research teams, enhancing efficiency and accelerating research.
The UCL Institute of Ophthalmology is all about working and learning together. It houses state-of-the-art multiuser equipment that can be shared across all research departments and teams at the institute.
This helps to improve efficiency and accelerate research, as well as build connections and opportunities for collaboration between research teams from different areas.
Investigating how mitochondria and metabolism contribute to eye disease
Eye cells use a lot of energy, and it is becoming clearer that mitochondria (which provide our cells with energy) may be involved in the development of a wide range of visual diseases.
To support this area of research, the charity awarded an equipment grant to install a new Seahorse Bioanalyser in the institute, which measures how cells use energy.
Find out how the Seahorse Bioanalyser works and how it can benefit research
This new piece of shared equipment has already enabled 16 different research groups from across the institute to better understand the metabolic processes occurring within the eye cells, and explore how mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to the development of common diseases like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Having a Seahorse within the institute has transformed our ability to perform key experiments examining mitochondrial function in a range of diseases.
Professor Mike Cheetham
The Seahorse Bioanalyser also allows for high-throughput testing of drugs to assess their impact on the mitochondria and metabolism of eye cells, which could help the researchers to accelerate the discovery of new drugs to treat eye disease.
What’s next?
By giving us a greater understanding of how metabolism and mitochondria contribute to common eye diseases and how different drugs interact with this process, the Seahorse Bioanalyser can help pave the way for new treatments and interventions to preserve people’s sight.
It is already a vital component of a new clinical trial to optimise treatments for glaucoma (scheduled to start in 2024) and has underpinned research publications, two PhD studentships and 10 new grant applications, with £1.1 million in new grants already secured.
This cutting-edge equipment has also fostered closer collaboration between research staff and students at the institute, encouraging interdisciplinary projects and the creation of a new cellular metabolism working group.
