Welcome to UltraPUFAs
A non-invasive, safe, simple and effective treatment for AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration)
About us
We are part of the Omega-3 Flagship team at Rothamsted Research focused on making beneficial lipids in plants. We are using our expertise in engineering plants to get them to make the ultra-long polyunsaturated fatty acids (UltraPUFAs for short) that are found in specialized cells like the retina. This way we hope to develop a new therapy for diseases of the eye like AMD.
Non-invasive treatment for AMD
Current therapies for AMD involve the injection of monoclonal antibodies into the eye but we believe that patients would prefer less invasive treatments which could be administered at home.
We want to hear from you!
Rothamsted Research is participating on a BBSRC funded programme called UltraPUFAs - novel lipids for human health. We are working on developing a new treatment for macular diseases such as AMD and we want to hear feedback and insights from the patients, healthcare professionals and the pharma industry to improve our understanding of current treatments and how we can deliver a new treatment for patients.
The problem
Diseases of the eye, such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) are a blight on the lives of many millions of people, resulting in the progressive loss of vision and associated impact on the quality of life. The prevalence of AMD is increasing, due in part to longer life expectancy. Currently there is no cure for AMD, and treatments to slow the progression of the disease are highly invasive (involving the injection of a therapeutic antibody into the eye) and costly.
Our solution
A critical component of the retina is the UltraPUFAs – unique lipids which allow the specialized cone cells to function correctly. The synthesis and accumulation of these lipids is believed to be impaired in conditions like AMD and depletion of UltraPUFAs in the retina is associated with the loss of vision. These lipids are incredibly difficult to synthesize by chemical methods and no natural sources are easily available. But if it was possible to find a new form of these important lipids, then they could be provided to the patients (perhaps ideally as eye drops), meaning that the recipient doesn’t need to undergo unpleasant invasive treatment (current therapy for AMD is ocular injection every 6 weeks).
Meet the team
The UltraPUFA team have decades of experience developing novel plant technologies to benefit both society and the individual. We are passionate about converting great ideas into outcomes that make a difference.
Meet the UltraPUFAs experts below!
WE BRING TOGETHER GLOBAL SCIENCE, FRESH THINKING AND INNOVATION FOR LASTING BENEFITS WORLDWIDE.
— Professor Angela Karp (Rothamsted Director).
We would love to hear from you.
If you would like to hear more about our research or collaborate with us, please get in touch.
Email: comms@rothamsted.ac.uk
Or call: + 44 (0) 1582 763 133
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