Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Interested in understanding how glia shapes neuronal fate in neurodegenerative diseases and in designing therapeutic approaches to prevent retinal ganglion cell loss and irreversible damage to the optic nerve, the only connection between the eye and the brain. <br/><br/>Currently researching the impact of hypoxic-ischemic injury to the visual pathway due to systemic hypoxia or ischemic optic neuropathy. Hypoxic (low oxygen), ischemic (low blood flow) injury is common in all age groups and can occur as a result of perinatal asphyxiation in babies; near-drowning and poisoning in children; or cardiac arrest, stroke, pulmonary diseases, peri-operative complications, high altitude exposure, and space travel in adults. Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy is the most common cause of sudden vision loss in those older than 50. I am currently investigating the impact of hypoxic-ischemic conditions in the metabolic stress and gliosis in the visual pathway.<br/><br/>Other interests and experience: cell therapies with adult stem cells; disease modeling using induced pluripotent stem cells; oligodendroglia generation and biology.
