Dr. Melinda K. Duncan is an established investigator who is the PI for Delaware INBRE Association,
The vertebrate lens is a remarkable tissue that has many evolutionary adaptations that allow it to remain transparent throughout life. Further, its cell biology is quite distinct from that of other tissues which results in it being the only epithelial organ which never develops clinically relevant cancers. Aging, ocular injury, genetic alterations or systemic diseases such as diabetes can lead to the loss of lens transparency, or cataract. Cataracts are the predominant cause of blindness worldwide and their incidence is increasing as life expectancies increase. Over the past thirty years, robust techniques to surgically treat cataract have been developed, greatly reducing cataract-related blindness in western countries. In the United States, cataract removal is the most common surgical procedure performed for any reason. While the short-term visual outcome for patients undergoing cataract surgery is often excellent, a large proportion of operated eyes subsequently develop posterior capsular opacification (PCO), a condition often referred to as secondary cataract which requires additional treatment and can lead to poor vision in the long term. You can read a press release about ongoing work in the laboratory written for a lay audience here and an interview on this topic can be found here. My laboratory focuses on understanding the pathogenesis of cataracts, the molecular mechanisms responsible for the side effects of cataract and other ocular surgeries, as well as the regulation of lens development and cellular differentiation. Pursuit of such research projects opens you up to pursue a variety of careers in both academia and industry. Alumni from the laboratory work in a variety of professions ranging from academic research, college level teaching, industry-based research, science writing, core facilty operations, science advocacy, and consulting.
Visit Program: https://naipi.org/2021/06/30/delaware-inbre/
Delaware: https://naipi.org/north-eastern-region/delaware/