Chris Lam
Project: Investigating cholesterol accumulation and strategies to reduce its buildup in eye cells of children with metabolic diseases
“My grandma has a rare inherited retinal disease with very similar symptoms to what pediatric patients experience... It motivated me to pursue this research to help prevent vision degeneration at a young age before it becomes a lifelong problem.”
Summary: The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is an essential layer of cells inside the eye involved in the maintenance of photoreceptors, the light-sensing elements of the retina. Peroxisomes and lysosomes are cellular components critical for breaking down old photoreceptors and facilitating their turnover. These subcellular components interact and enable the movement of lipids such as cholesterol from lysosomes to peroxisomes.
Children with disorders of peroxisome function develop retinal degeneration for which there is no treatment. This has major implications for a child's life, as they cannot see, which limits their ability to perform tasks on their own.
Our lab has shown that RPE cells lacking peroxisome function cannot effectively break down photoreceptors. I hypothesize that this is caused by secondary dysfunction of lysosomes, the cell's major digestive compartments. Our objective is to determine if cells lacking peroxisome function accumulate cholesterol in lysosomes, resulting in their dysfunction.
To further support this hypothesis, I will assess whether chemically lowering cholesterol in lysosomes can enhance their function. If successful, this may inform the development of vision-saving treatments for children with peroxisome-function disorders. Our methods involve culturing human RPE cells and using microscopy and western blotting to analyze cholesterol levels and lysosomal function.
My project will enhance our understanding of how peroxisomes and lysosomes interact in RPE cells to regulate photoreceptor turnover.
Chris Lam was supervised by Dr. Matthew Benson in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, and his WCHRI summer studentship was funded by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. He is enrolled in a bachelor of science in biological sciences at the University of Alberta.
Read more about WCHRI’s training awards for students at all levels and generous grants for researchers. See the rest of the 2026 summer studentship recipients here.
