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Admin Core John Nickerson PhD

Principal Investigators (PIs)

John Nickerson, PhD

John Nickerson, PhD, is a leader in molecular biology in the visual system. He was responsible for the development and translation of many fundamental tools in recombinant DNA technologies and led the implementation and wide dispersal of these new tools into vision research. He has developed an expertise in the biochemistry of the Visual Cycle, and specialized in the properties of IRBP. Mutations in IRBP cause Retinitis Pigmentosa; but prior to vision loss, the eye in IRBP mutations becomes exceedingly myopic. This pattern is duplicated in the IRBP knockout mouse, which he uses to find the underlying mechanisms linking the loss of IRBP to excessive eye growth before light and pattern detection initiate in the developing eye. He also studies patterns of cell-cell interactions in the RPE following insults similar to those in AMD. He employs transgenic approaches to mark individual RPE cells to trace their behaviors and functional capabilities.

P. Michael Iuvone, PhD P. Michael Iuvone, PhD, has been a leader in the field of retinal circadian biology for nearly 40 years.  In collaboration with Joe Besharse, we were the first to demonstrate a circadian clock in the eye that is independent of the clocks in the brain (published in Nature 1983).  We continue to study retinal circadian biology, and have recently shown that disruption of the retinal clock results in developmental abnormalities, accelerated cone photoreceptor cell death during aging, and myopia.  Future studies will continue to elucidate the roles of clocks in specific retinal cell types in retinal function and dysfunction.  We are also developing new potential therapeutics for retinal degenerations and traumatic optic neuropathy.

Research Scientists

Micah Chrenek, BSc, Senior Research Specialist
Jendayi Dixon, BS, Biology, MMS, Research Specialist, Lead
Jessica Hamm, BS, Animal Science, Research specialist
Chloe Reid, AAS, Research Specialist

Research

The Nickerson lab studies mutations in IRBP cause Retinitis Pigmentosa; but prior to vision loss, the eye in IRBP mutations becomes exceedingly myopic. This pattern is duplicated in the IRBP knockout mouse, which he uses to find the underlying mechanisms linking the loss of IRBP to excessive eye growth before light and pattern detection initiate in the developing eye. He also studies patterns of cell-cell interactions in the RPE following insults similar to those in AMD. He employs transgenic approaches to mark individual RPE cells to trace their behaviors and functional capabilities.

The Iuvone lab focuses on several inter-related areas, all impacting visual function and dysfunction, with an emphasis on roles of circadian rhythms and dopamine. Targeted translational areas include: AMD, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, myopia, retinopathy of prematurity, and traumatic optic neuropathy.