Ross Collery, PhD
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Medical School of Wisconsin Eye Institute
Research: “Understanding genetic causes of retinal degeneration and refractive error using zebrafish”
Research
“Understanding genetic causes of retinal degeneration and refractive error using zebrafish”The Collery lab studies refractive error and retinal degeneration in the eye and how they influence one another, often having a common genetic cause. Refractive error is common in inherited retinal degenerations, and conversely, refractive error can lead to retinal damage and degeneration. We are especially interested in retinoids, compounds derived from vitamin A, that control many functions of the eye. Mutations in retinoid transport proteins have been shown to cause refractive error and photoreceptor loss. For example, mutations in human STRA6, a retinoid receptor found on the retinal pigment epithelial layer, cause Matthew-Wood syndrome, characterized by microphthalmia and coloboma.
To better understand how retinoids influence the development and health of the eye, we use a host of cutting-edge techniques, including:
- CRISPR/Cas9 genomic editing (Figure 1)
- Live imaging of the eye and retina using optical coherence tomography (OCT) (Figure 2)
- Refractive error measurement (Figure 3)
- Transgenic animal models (Figure 4; Movie 1)
- Fluorescent protein imaging (Figure 4)
- RNAseq transcriptomic profiling
