Paul Bernstein
University of Utah, UT·Biochemistry
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and related inherited diseases damage the macula, the central part of the retina used for reading and recognizing faces. Two families of fat-soluble molecules concentrated in the retina may help protect it.
- Fields
Biochemistry
Medicine & Clinical Research
Pharmacology
- Topics
age-related macular degeneration
Stargardt disease
retina
- Grants
- 3 known grants, through Jun 2029
What they work on
- Test whether orally delivered synthetic VLC-PUFAs, retina-specific fats made by the enzyme ELOVL4, protect photoreceptor function, using mouse models, cell culture and model membranes.
- Uncover how supplied VLC-PUFAs reach and act in the retina and retinal pigment epithelium, using fluorinated and deuterated versions alongside ERG and visual performance tests in mice.
- Identify the binding proteins, transporters and metabolic enzymes that deposit lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin in the fovea, using biochemical studies of carotenoid transport and metabolism.
- Examine how macular carotenoids protect the retina in health and disease, using transgenic 'macular pigment mice' and resonance Raman imaging to map the pigments at high resolution.
More about the research
Very-long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLC-PUFAs) are unusual lipids found in few tissues besides the retina. The macular carotenoids are yellow pigments obtained from the diet. The lab studies how these molecules are made, delivered and used in the eye, so that supplements and treatments can rest on solid science. It also leads a shared vision research core that supports other eye researchers at the university.
Why it matters
Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in older adults, and carotenoid supplements are already standard advice for some patients. This work could guide safer, evidence-based use of lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin across the lifespan. It could also open a new treatment path: synthetic VLC-PUFAs given by mouth to correct the retinal lipid abnormalities seen in AMD, STGD3 and other macular disorders.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Joshua Dunaief
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Medicine & Clinical Research
Develop two new mouse models of geographic atrophy driven by oxidative stress in the retinal pigment epithelium: mice with RPE-specific knockout of glutathione peroxidase 4 and mice given low-dose sodium iodate.
Jianhai Du
West Virginia University, WV·Biochemistry
Trace how retinal pigment epithelium cells use the amino acid proline as fuel alongside glucose, using tracer methods and mass spectrometry.
Jason Miller
University of Michigan, MI·Medicine & Clinical Research·Early-career
Determine the composition of lipid droplets, small fat-storage compartments, in human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cultures fed different lipid loads, using mass spectrometry.
The school
University of Utah: 58 labs on PI Pages, $789M a year on research, 366 research doctorates a year.
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