Our Team
Principal Investigator
Daniel M. Lipinski, MSc, DPhil
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Assistant Professor of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-mediated gene therapy, diabetic retinopathy, inherited retinal disease (e.g., Retinitis pigmentosa), age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Post-Doc Fellows
Ramesh Periasamy, PhD, MS
Post Doctoral Fellow
Ramesh's current research interests are in stem cell differentiation for vision restoration and research tools for diabetic retinopathy.
Graduate Students
Kristina Ertel
Graduate Student
Kristina's current research interests include creating a rAAV-mediated gene therapy treatment for individuals affected by primary open angle glaucoma (POAG).
Rachel Fehrman
Graduate Student
I am interested in the development of novel vector technologies that are capable of delivering large genes to cells of the retina.
Erika Shaw
Graduate Student
Erika's current research interests include the role of RPE in age-related macular degeneration and developing gene therapy treatments to prevent and protect against geographic atrophy.
Dwani Patel
G3 Student
Dwani's current interests include investigating the role of endothelial cells and retinal pericytes in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy, as well as identifying targets for gene therapy via rAAv.
Hanmeng Zhang
Graduate Student
My graduate work will focus on the development of gene therapy strategies to prevent cone photoreceptor loss secondary to advanced rod degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
Medical Students
Nathan Li
Medical Student
My current research interests include working to develop rAAV technology to facilitate topical gene therapy to the cornea for individuals affected by open angle glaucoma (POAG).
Research Staff
Gavin Marcoe
Research Technologist
I will be working on developing novel vectors that are capable of delivering large genes to photoreceptors in an attempt to overcome this limitation.
Amira L. Pavlovich
Research Associate
I work jointly in the Lipinski and Besharse Laboratories to manage and oversee the animal colony at MCW. This includes performing husbandry and genotyping, as well as assisting students and faculty with experiments.