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Pathophysiological consequences of rhodopsin mislocalization in inherited retinal disease

Dr. Tylor Lewis is a distinguished researcher in cell and developmental biology, with a Ph.D. from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He also holds a B.A. in Biology and Chemistry, summa cum laude, from Carthage College. Dr. Lewis joins the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences after being a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Ophthalmology at Duke University, where he worked under the guidance of Dr. Vadim Y. Arshavsky.

Dr. Lewis’s research interests are focused on the molecular mechanisms of vertebrate vision and the pathophysiology of retinal disease. He employs a combination of cellular, genetic, biochemical and proteomic approaches to study the development and maintenance of rod and cone photoreceptor cells. The first steps of vision take place within the ciliary outer segment organelle of these cells. Outer segments contain a stack of “disc” membranes that undergo continuous renewal whereby new discs are added at its base and old discs are ingested from its tip by the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). His work has uncovered several critical aspects of outer segment morphogenesis and provided strong leads to expand his research program to studying poorly understood aspects of photoreceptor pathophysiology and the symbiotic relationship between photoreceptors and the RPE. Following these directions will ultimately contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies for patients suffering from a wide range of retinal degenerative diseases, including those primarily affecting photoreceptor cells (e.g. retinitis pigmentosa and cone-rod dystrophy) and those disrupting photoreceptor-RPE symbiosis (e.g. vitelliform macular dystrophy).

Note: box lunches for the first 30 attendees will be available.

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