Ophthalmic Research Laboratory
Research
Research Summary
Ophthalmic Research Laboratory (ORL), established in Fall 2015 by Dr. Hegde, is a biomedical research hub with a focus on ocular tissues, at Coppin State University. Research is focused on investigations on the mechanisms of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced aberrations in the retina, a crucial factor involved in the pathogenesis of several blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), etc. Retinas exposed to ROS are analyzed for biochemical and metabolic dysfunction, morphological disruption, apoptotic cell death and other biomarkers of oxidative stress. An important goal of the research is to investigate the changes in expression of Nrf2-inducible genes in the ROS-exposed neural retina and their possible modulation by nutraceuticals and metabolic antioxidants. The overall impact of the research is translational, considering the potential therapeutic use of such compounds with a neuroprotective role for prevention and treatment of DR and AMD. Collaborative projects with University of Maryland School of Medicine focused on development of fluorescence methods for pre-clinical detection of AMD are also in progress.
In addition to routine instrumentation required for tissue culture and biochemical experiments, the lab is equipped with a thermocycler, multimode plate reader (absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence, and DNA/RNA quantification capabilities,), and fluorescence microscope. ORL has undergraduate and graduate students working in the lab, in addition to high school students interning during the summer.
Students in this lab will be able to independently run biochemical assays and state-of-the-art molecular biotechnology experiments using the above lab equipment, perform eye dissection and learn tissue culture techniques. They will learn to maintain lab books with detailed write-up of their experiments, methods of data collection, analysis and interpretation, write lab/research reports, and prepare and present their research at lab meetings, seminars and conferences.
