We are studying molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for a number of retinal degenerative diseases that are leading causes of vision loss.
Research in my laboratory is directed toward identifying and characterizing vertebrate retinal photoreceptor proteins and elucidating their role in 1) phototransduction and related signal transduction pathways; 2) photoreceptor cell structure and morphogenesis; 3) retinal cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions; and 4) various inherited retinal degenerative diseases including retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration that are the leading causes of blindness in the developed world. We are also developing and applying new technology to the study of membrane proteins and treatments for retinal degenerative diseases. To accomplish these goals, we are utilizing a variety of current and emerging biochemical, biophysical, immunochemical, molecular and cell biology approaches to 1) purify and reconstitute membrane proteins into lipid vesicles for structure-function analyses; 2) identify and characterize important structural, functional, and regulatory protein domains; 3) define specific protein-protein interactions responsible for the formation of macromolecular assemblies; 4) develop novel reagents and cell and animal models for analysis of retinal degenerative diseases; and 5) evaluate diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for selective retinal degenerative diseases.
