Research Focus

The Retinal Degeneration and Neuroprotection Laboratory is dedicated to researching photoreceptor degeneration, retinal ganglion cell degeneration, and neuroprotective strategies. We aim for our research to enhance our understanding of retinal cell biology and the mechanisms behind retinal degeneration. Significantly, our findings could lead to clinical therapies focused on treating retinal conditions like retinitis pigmentosa, as well as glaucoma. 

The major focus of the lab is retinitis pigmentosa, a group of hereditary retinal degenerations caused by mutations in more than 60 genes. These mutations specifically induce rod photoreceptor degeneration. Patients with retinitis pigmentosa typically experience nyctalopia (night blindness) due to rod dysfunction and degeneration. As the disease progresses, cone photoreceptors undergo degeneration following rod degeneration (secondary cone degeneration). Progressive rod and secondary cone degenerations lead to annual loss of the remaining visual-field area at an experiential rate of about 2.6–13.5%, and tunnel vision and eventually total blindness.

In addition to rod photoreceptors, we investigate retinal ganglion cell degeneration Retinal ganglion cells are retinal output neurons that process and convey visual information from the retina to the visual cortex. Clinical conditions that affect retinal ganglion cell functions can lead to blindness, including glaucoma, ischemic optic neuropathies, hereditary optic neuropathies, and demyelinating disease. Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss. A promising therapeutic strategy for glaucoma is to protect retinal ganglion cells with neuroprotective therapies