Immunology, Inflammation and Diseases of the Eye

In addition to his role as Senior Scientist and Co-Director at the Schepens Eye Research Institute, Dr. Reza Dana holds the Claes H. Dohlman Chair in Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. He is Director of the Cornea & Refractive Surgery Service at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear, and serves as the Vice Chairman of the Harvard Department of Ophthalmology and Associate Chief of Ophthalmology for Academic Programs at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. After graduating Summa Cum Laude from St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire, he completed his bachelor’s (Phi Beta Kappa), graduate, and medical education at Johns Hopkins University. He performed his residency in Ophthalmology at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary in Chicago, followed by a clinical fellowship in Cornea and External Diseases at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. Reza then completed additional fellowship training in Immunology and Uveitis at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and in Ocular and Transplantation Immunology at the Schepens Eye Research Institute. Dr. Dana also holds a Master of Science degree in Management from Harvard University. Reza has been a member of the full-time Harvard faculty since 1995. As a clinician-scientist, he has a particular interest in the molecular and cellular mechanisms of inflammation as they pertain to the ocular surface and anterior segment pathologies, including dry eye, allergy, wound healing responses, and transplant rejection. Dr. D’Amore earned her PhD in Biology from Boston University, was a postdoctoral fellow in Biological Chemistry and Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins Medical School, then moved to Boston Children’s Hospital as Assistant Professor where she remains Research Associate in Surgery. In 1998, she became Charles L. Schepens Professor of Ophthalmology and Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and a Senior Scientist at Mass. Eye and Ear. She is the Associate Chief of Basic and Translational Research for Ophthalmology at Mass. Eye and Ear and the Vice Chair of Basic and Translational Research for the Department of Ophthalmology. Dr. D’Amore is an international expert in vascular growth and development and has been at the forefront of angiogenesis research for over three decades. She has published more than 170 peer-reviewed papers, 75 reviews, and edited or co-edited two books.

I. Regulation of the Immune Response of the Eye and Its Dysregulation in Inflammation and Infection Adaptive Immune System and the Eye: Mucosal Immunity Adaptive immune system and the eye: T-cell mediated immunity Innate immune system and the eye Defense mechanisms of tears and ocular surface Role of complement in the ocular immune response Immunoregulatory processes that sustain immune privilege in the eye Immunosupressive and anti-inflammatory molecules that maintain immune previlege of the eye Antigen-presenting cells in the eye and ocular surface Regenfus and Cursiefen- Angiogenesis in the eye Dry eye: An immune-based inflammation Penetrating keratoplasty Corneal epithelium- response to infection Immunopathogenesis of HSV Keratitis Immunopathogenesis of Onchocerciasis (River Blindness) Immunopathogenesis of pseudomonas keratitis Immunobiology of acanthomeba karatitis Pathogenesis of fungal keratitis Molecular and cellular mechanisms in allergic conjunctivitis Conjunctiva Immune surveillance Inflammation of the Conjunctiva Immunopathogenesis of experimental uveitic diseases Pathogenesis of Uveitis in humans Immunobiology of uveal melanoma Immunobiology of age-related macular degeneration Pathogenesis and Immunology of Bacterial endophthalmitis

II. Angiogenesis in the Eye and Its Dysfunction in the Retina, Cornea and Vitreous Orbiatl vascular anatomy Developmental anatomy of retinal and choroidal vasculature Development of the retinal vasculature Physiological Anatomy of the retinal vasculature Physiological anatomy of the choroidal vasculature Properties and functions of the vessels of the ciliary body Anatomy and regulation of the optic nerve blood flow Angiogenesis in response to hypoxia Angiogenesis and inflammation Angiogenesis in wound healing Hemangiogenesis versus lymphangiogenesis Innate immunity and angiogenesis Mechanisms of Angiostasis Stability and functional integrity of new blood vessels Vessel regression Blood-retinal barrier Breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier Retinal pigment epithelium barrier Breakdown of the retinal pigement epithelium blood-retinal barrier Retinal pigment epithelial-choroid interactions Macular edema Central vein occlusion Pathological retinal angiogenesis Proliferative vitreoretinopathy Choroidal neovascularization The vascular stem cell Concept of Angiogenic Privilege Corneal angiogenesis Avascularity of the cornea Anti-angiogenic properties of vitreous