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In a field like ophthalmology (where things are always changing) and a school like Dalhousie (where there’s always something happening), it’s easy to get out of the loop. Make sure you’re aware of everything that’s going on by checking back often.

News

The Mathers Endowment

Thanks to a generous $9 million donation, we were able to create:

• Dr. R. Evatt and Rita Mathers Chair in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Research
• Dr. R. Evatt and Rita Mathers Trainee Scholarships  

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2024 Mathers Scholarship

2024 Mathers Scholarship Recipients (from the left clockwise): Delaney Henderson, Faiyaz Abid Ali Khan, Jeffrey Locke, Robyn McGowan, Safiya Rizwan

Dr. Delaney Henderson is the recipient of the Research Fellowship in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Dr. Henderson, who is under the supervision of Dr. Balwantray Chauhan, is studying delivery of genes for fluorescent molecules to allow visualization of cells in the retina. This technique could be used as an imaging tool to visualize cellular function and dysfunction over time. The aim of the study is to track the functional behavior of individual RGCs before and after injury such as models of experimental glaucoma to characterize the loss of function over time in a living animal. Results of this study will increase our understanding of the properties of cellular loss of function and the safety of this technique so that it can be used as a clinical diagnostic tool in the future.

The PhD in Vision Science scholarship is awarded to Jeffrey Locke, who under the supervision of Drs. Patrice Côté and Aaron Newman. Jeff is evaluating the accuracy and speed of applying machine learning- (computers identifying patterns) algorithms to visual electrophysiology recordings of participants (humans and mouse models) to remove artifacts, identify clinical components, and determine if they are healthy or abnormal, compared to standard analysis by human observers.

Robyn McGowan is the recipient of the Masters in Vision Science scholarship and is studying photoreceptor cell biology and the mechanisms of photoreceptor-bipolar cell signal transmission under the direction of Dr. Melina Agosto. Understanding these signal transmissions are crucial for developing therapies that target photoreceptor dysfunction. Specific proteins in both photoreceptors and bipolar cells are required at the site of signal transmission. However, little is known about how photoreceptor proteins get to the correct location, or how they interact with the bipolar cell proteins. Using a mouse model as well as experiments in cultured cells, she aims to elucidate requirements for protein trafficking and protein-protein interactions necessary for normal vision.

The Masters in Clinical Vision Sciences scholarship is awarded to Safiya Rizwan, who is working under the supervision of Dr. Kevin Duffy. Safiya is studying the involvement of microglia, an important cell type that regulates immune function, in repairing misconnections caused by monocular deprivation after the critical period of development in animal models. The goal of Safiya’s research is to help understand the mechanism behind why chemically inactivating the fellow (non-deprived) eye in cats stimulates recovery of vision in the deprived eye after a critical period.

Faiyaz Abid Ali Khan is the recipient of the Undergraduate scholarship and is working with Dr. Melina Agosto to characterize how mutations from congenital stationary night blindness patients affect the function of the mGluR6 protein. He will also test whether manipulating the cells’ available secretion pathways can rescue the behavior of mutant mGluR6.

Events

• Resident Research Day (Annual)
• Form & Function in Ocular Disease Conference (Biennial)
  
• Atlantic Eye Symposium (Annual)