Assistant Professor

Research Interest:  Mechanisms of phototransduction and photoreceptor degeneration

Retinal photoreceptors transduce visible electromagnetic energy into neuronal signal using a process called phototransduction.  We study the kinetic and sensitivity differences between rod and cone phototransduction pathways using a multi-disciplinary approach including mouse genetics, biochemistry and electrophysiology.  We also study photoreceptor cell death, a process inflicting patients of retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration.  Our goals are to understand photoreceptor biology at the molecular level and apply the knowledge to disease prevention, diagnosis, therapeutic and/or pharmacological interventions.

The Chen Laboratory