Post Doctoral Researchers

Lew Kaplan
Some vertebrate species like the frog or the newt show remarkable regenerative capacity. In fact, they can regenerate the complete retina after its removal. This process is partially mediated by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) that can enter a stem-cell like state. My goal is to make human RPE more newt-like and stimulate it to generate cone-photoreceptors.

Kiara Eldred
I am working to develop human retinal organoids as a system to observe the formation, growth, and penetrance of the different mutations that cause retinoblastoma. I hope that by better understanding the cellular origins of retinoblastoma, we can also better understand the molecular machinery regulating the decision points between proliferative growth and terminal differentiation of cells. I am funded by the HHMI Hanna Gray Fellows program.

Juliette Wohlschlegel
I am a passionate developmental biologist, captivated by the genetic mechanisms that determine cell fate and the processes involved in cellular regeneration. My research focuses on developing a strategy to regenerate neurons from human Müller glia, with the hope that this work will contribute to the advancement of intrinsic regenerative medicine in humans. I am funded by the BrightFocus Fondation.

Marina Pavlou

My focus is to develop a regenerative gene therapy to treat neurodegenerative diseases. To achieve this I employ viral vector strategies that stimulate neurogenesis in the adult mammalian retina in live animal models. I am also interested in the functional integration of regenerated neurons in the adult mammalian retina and whether neurogenesis leads to tangible vision restoration. I am funded by the Weill Neurohub foundation and the Washington Research Foundation.