Research seminars

About the series

This seminar series presented by the Department of Ophthalmology, Vision and Anatomical Sciences (OVAS), Wayne State University School of Medicine is one of the major platforms to enhance our knowledge base, promote innovation, stimulate new ideas and cultivate collaboration. It also emphasizes the education of the next generation of scientists.

The Distinguished Speaker Series hosts accomplished experts from all over the world to introduce their discoveries, cutting-edge technologies and translational research experience in their own words. The series covers a wide range of topics from Ophthalmology, Vision Sciences, Ocular Immunology, Neurobiology, Genetics and Imaging, from molecular mechanisms of health and pathogenesis of diseases to the development of new treatments.

All seminars will be held in the departmental conference room and broadcast live through Zoom. The Distinguished Speaker Series brings the best of the world to Detroit and disseminates knowledge to the world. Engaging in conversations with faculty members and trainees it stimulates new innovative ideas and collaboration and elevates the horizon of the students and trainees.

The seminars are held on Thursdays at noon, once a month during the academic year. Please join us in person or virtually on Zoom.

Next seminar

Stephen Flugfelder, M.D.
Professor and James and Margaret Elkins Chair in Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Baylor College of Medicine

May 22, 2025
Noon - 1 p.m.

On-site location:
OVAS departmental library
Scott Hall, room #8366

Virtual attendees: join via Zoom

For more information or comments and suggestions, please email:

Shunbin Xu, MD, PhD, or Selina Hall

Seminar schedule
Winter/ Spring 2025

Date	Speaker	Topic	Host	Series Type
1/23/2025	Lu Chen, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Optometry & Vision Science Center for Eye Disease and Development, Vision Science Graduate Program, and School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of California at Berkeley	Novel insights into ocular lymphatics	Shunbin Xu	Distinguished Speaker
2/02/2025	Heather Chandler, Ph.D. Professor College of Optometry Ohio State University	Novel strategies to reduce corneal fibrosis		Distinguished Speaker
2/20/2025	George L King, M.D. Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Professor of Medicine and Professor of Ophthalmology, Chief Scientific Officer Harvard Medical School	Retinal Binding Protein 3 (RBP3), a Biomarker or Therapeutic Protective Factor for Diabetic Retinopathy	Bruce Berkowitz	Distinguished Speaker
3/20/2025	Tomomi Ichinose, M.D., Ph.D. Professor OVAS Wayne State University	Watch out for your preparations! Lessons from retinal neurophysiological research	Shunbin Xu	Tranlastional Research Update
4/3/2025	Daniel R Saban, Ph.D. Professor Ophthalmology Duke University School of Medicine	The cornea harbors a tricellular neuro-immune niche than underpins touch	Shunbin Xu	Distinguished Speaker
4/17/2025	Justin P Kumar, Ph.D. Professor Biology Indiana University	Graded transcription factor expression mediates the choice between distinct organ fates	Markus Friedrich	Distinguished Speaker
5/1/2025	Trainee seminar 2 Ph.D. thesis project in progress Anamika Sharma, PhD candidate	Innate immune activation contributes to neurodegeneration in a fly model of familial ataxia Role of IL-33 Induced Microglia Activation in Proliferative Retinopathies	Ryan Insolera Nihklesh Singh	Trainee Seminar
5/22/2025	Stephen Flugfelder, M.D. Professor and James and Margaret Elkins Chair in Ophthalmology Ophthalmology Baylor College of Medicine	TBD	Shunbin Xu	Distinguished Speaker

Fall 2025

Date	Speaker	Topic	Host	Series Type
9/4/2025	Dimitrios Karamichos, Ph.D. Interim Dean, School of Biomedical Sciences; Executive Director & Endowed Chair, NTERI; Professor Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacology & Neuroscience The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth	TBD	Shunbin Xu	Distinguished Speaker
TBD	Timothy A Blenkinsop, Ph.D. Associate professor Ophthalmology, CDRB Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	TBD	Ashok Kumar	Distinguished Speaker

Date

Speaker

Topic

Host

Series Type

9/4/2025

Dimitrios Karamichos, Ph.D.

Interim Dean, School of Biomedical Sciences; Executive Director & Endowed Chair, NTERI; Professor

Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacology & Neuroscience
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth

TBD

Shunbin Xu

Distinguished Speaker

TBD

Timothy A Blenkinsop, Ph.D.

Associate professor

Ophthalmology, CDRB
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

TBD

Ashok Kumar

Distinguished Speaker

2024-2025 Speakers Series Archive

Distinguished Speaker Series 2024-25

Date	Speaker	Topic	WSU Host
September 19, 2024	Eric Pearlman, Ph.D. Director, Institute for Immunology; Professor Physiology & Biophysics, Ophthalmology University of California Irvine, School of Medicine	Neutrophil activation and cell death in Pseudomonas aeruginosa keratitis View recorded seminar	Shunbin Xu	Distinguished Speaker
October 17, 2024	Kaustabh Ghosh, Ph.D. Associate Professor Ophthalmology University of California, Los Angeles; Doheny Eye Institute	Mechanobiology of Retinal Vascular Inflammation and Degeneration in Diabetes. View recorded seminar	Ahmed Ibrahim	Distinguished Speaker
November 7, 2024	Marcelo M. Nociari, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Ophthalmology, immunonology and genetic medicine Weill Cornell Medical College	Novel Therapies for Retinal Atrophy in Dry AMD and Stargardt Disease View recorded seminar	Nikhlesh Singh	Distinguished Speaker
November 21, 2024	Steve H DeVries, M.D., Ph.D. Professor Ophthalmology & Neuroscience University of California, Los Angeles; Doheny Eye Institute	The cone synapse at nanoscale: single protein localization and single vesicle transmission. View recorded seminar	Tomomi Ichinose	Distinguished Speaker
December 5, 2024	Harald Junge, Ph.D. Mary and Marian Robinson Chair in Macular Degeneration, Associate Professor and Research Director Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Neuroscience University of Minnesota	The Norrin/Frizzled4 signaling pathway controls the blood-retina barrier and is a target for therapeutic intervention View recorded seminar	Nikhlesh Singh	Distinguished Speaker
January 23, 2025	Lu Chen, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Optometry & Vision Science Center for Eye Disease and Development, Vision Science Graduate Program, and School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of California at Berkeley	Novel insights into ocular lymphatics	Shunbin Xu	Distinguished Speaker
February 2, 2025	Heather Chandler, Ph.D. Professor College of Optometry Ohio State University	Novel strategies to reduce corneal fibrosis View recorded seminar		Distinguished Speaker
February 20, 2025	George L King, M.D. Thomas J. Beatson, Jr. Professor of Medicine and Professor of Ophthalmology, Chief Scientific Officer Harvard Medical School	Retinal Binding Protein 3 (RBP3), a Biomarker or Therapeutic Protective Factor for Diabetic Retinopathy View recorded seminar	Bruce Berkowitz	Distinguished Speaker
March 20, 2025	Tomomi Ichinose, M.D., Ph.D. Professor OVAS Wayne State University	Watch out for your preparations! Lessons from retinal neurophysiological research View recorded seminar	Shunbin Xu	Tranlastional Research Update
April 3, 2025	Daniel R Saban, Ph.D. Professor Ophthalmology Duke University School of Medicine	The cornea harbors a tricellular neuro-immune niche that underpins touch *View recorded seminar*	Shunbin Xu	Distinguished Speaker
April 17, 2025	Justin P Kumar, Ph.D. Professor Biology Indiana University	Graded transcription factor expression mediates the choice between distinct organ fates *View recorded seminar*	Markus Friedrich	Distinguished Speaker
May 01, 2025	Trainee seminar 2 Ph.D. thesis project in progress Anamika Sharma, PhD candidate	Innate immune activation contributes to neurodegeneration in a fly model of familial ataxia Role of IL-33 Induced Microglia Activation in Proliferative Retinopathies	Ryan Insolera Nihklesh Singh	Trainee Seminar

Trainee Seminars 2024-25

Date	Speakers	Topics
Oct. 31, 2024	Hubert O. Acheampong, PhD candidate Abdul Rhman Hassan, MD.	Application and validation of a novel mitophagy reporter in Drosophila melanogaster Cellular mechanisms of pupil light reflex in the mouse retina

2023-2024 Speaker Series archive

Distinguished Speaker Series 2023-24

Date	Speaker	Topic	WSU Host
Sept 7, 2023	Anthony St. Leger, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Immunology University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine	Exploiting the ocular microbiome and neuroimmune axis during blinding ocular surface disease. View recorded seminar	Shunbin Xu
Oct. 5, 2023	Ning Tian, Ph.D. Professor Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences University of Utah	Immune proteins in RGC development and protection View recorded seminar	Zhuohua Pan
Oct. 19, 2023	Justin Kenney Assistant professor Biological Sciences College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, WSU	Identifying the neural and molecular basis for individual differences in the exploratory behavior of zebrafish	Ryan Thummel
Nov. 2, 2023	Ryan Thummel, Ph.D. Associate Professor Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences WSU School of Medicine Renu Kowluru, Ph.D. Professor Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences WSU School of Medicine	Bedside to Bench: Examples of Enhanced Training Opportunities in OVAS/KEI Diabetic macular edema: Anti-VEGF therapy and epigenetically modified mitochondrial DNA
Nov. 16, 2023	Bruce Berkowitz, Ph.D. Professor Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences WSU School of Medicine	Mitigating threats to sight with translational mitochondrial biomarker imaging View recorded seminar
Nov. 30, 2023	Mary Marquart, Ph.D. Professor Cell and Molecular Biology University of Mississippi Medical Center	Innovative Cold Atmospheric Plasma (iCAP) for the Treatment of Microbial Keratitis View recorded seminar	Ashok Kumar
Dec. 14, 2023	Bart Borghuis, Ph.D. Associate professor Anatomical Sciences & NeurobiologyInstitute: University of Louisville	Understanding retinal visual function using live imaging and targeted electrophysiology View recorded seminar	Tomomi Ichinose
Jan.18, 2024	Danielle Robertson, O.D., Ph.D. Professor Department of Ophthalmology UT Southwestern Medical Center	Mitochondria as mediators of host defense in the cornea: implications for contact lens-related bacterial keratitis View recorded seminar	Fu-shin Yu
Feb. 1, 2024	Przemyslaw (Mike) Sapieha, Ph.D. Wolfe Professor in Translational Research FROUM Endowed Chair Canada Research Chair in Retinal Cell Biology Member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada Professor of Ophthalmology, Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal	Targeting Cellular Senescence in the Retina: From dish to Clinic	Ahmed Ibrahim
Feb. 29, 2024	Vladimir Jivkov Kefalov, PhD Professor Ophthalmology University of California Irvine	From a cone-specific visual cycle to prevention of retinal degeneration View recorded seminar	Bruce Berkowitz
March 28, 2024	Monica Vetter, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Neurobiology University of Utah School of Medicine	Pathways for generation and elimination of retinal ganglion cells View recorded seminar	Ryan Thummel
April 11, 2024	Akihiro Ikeda, Ph.D. Professor Genetics College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, School of Medicine and Public Health University of Wisconsin, Madison	Genetics of retinal aging and lipid metabolism - role of peroxisomes and mitochondria View recorded seminar	Nikhlesh Singh
April 25 2024	Samer Hattar, Ph.D. Chief and Senior Investigator Head of the Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms (SLCR) Intramural Research Program National Institute of Mental Health	The impact of light on animal behvaior View recorded seminar	Bruce Berkowitz

Translational research updates 2023-24

Date	Speakers	Topics
Nov. 2, 2023	Ryan Thummel, Ph.D. Associate Professor Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences WSU School of Medicine Renu Kowluru, Ph.D. Professor Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences WSU School of Medicine	Bedside to Bench: Examples of Enhanced Training Opportunities in OVAS/KEI Diabetic macular edema: Anti-VEGF therapy and epigenetically modified mitochondrial DNA
Nov. 16, 2023	Bruce Berkowitz, Ph.D. Professor Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences WSU School of Medicine	Mitigating threats to sight with translational mitochondrial biomarker imaging

Date

Speakers

Topics

Nov. 2, 2023

Ryan Thummel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
WSU School of Medicine

Renu Kowluru, Ph.D.
Professor
Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
WSU School of Medicine

Bedside to Bench: Examples of Enhanced Training Opportunities in OVAS/KEI

Diabetic macular edema: Anti-VEGF therapy and epigenetically modified mitochondrial DNA

Nov. 16, 2023

Bruce Berkowitz, Ph.D.
Professor
Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
WSU School of Medicine

Mitigating threats to sight with translational mitochondrial biomarker imaging

Trainee Seminars 2023-24

Date	Speakers	Topics
Previous Trainee Seminar(s)
Feb 15, 2024	Nan Gao Research scientist	The role of exosomes in mediating corneal wound healing in normal and diabetic mice
Feb 15, 2024	Nicole Oska MD candidate	Retinal endothelial barrier and bioenergetics
Sept. 21, 2023	Jeremy Bohl PhD candidate	Long-Distance Cholinergic Feedback- From Starburst Amacrine Cells to Retinal Bipolar Cells Enhances Direction Selectivity in the Mammalian Retina
Sept. 21, 2023	Zeeshan Ahmed Postdoctoral Research Fellow	Host NAD+ Metabolism Perturbation in Bacterial Endophthalmitis