The goal of our research is to understand  the roles that retinal neurons, in particular photoreceptors, play in the development of retinal vascular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and retinopathy of prematurity.

Questions addressed in the lab include:

1. How do metabolic perturbations, such as hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia, affect retinal neurons?

2. How do metabolic perturbations affect the “crosstalk” between retinal neurons, glia, and retinal vasculature?

3. What are the signaling pathways involved in these processes?

We use tissue culture, biochemical, and molecular approaches in combination with in vivo models of diabetes to answer these questions.