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Since 2002, I am engaged in vision research and starting 2006, I became an independent researcher at the LSU Eye Center of Excellence. In the year 2008, while at Xavier, I was awarded NIH/R21 grant from NEI and engaged in the discovery of a peptide against inflammation and neovascularization in cornea of mouse and rabbit eyes. We, now have an approved patent of this anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic peptide. Subsequently, I developed interest in the area of anti-angiogenesis with this peptide in VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor)-induced angiogenesis in rabbit eye model (published in PLoS ONE, 2011). Further we looked in to the molecular events blocked by this anti-angiogenic peptide that inhibits ECM(extracellular matrix) degradation of retina in vitro and in vivo (Published in PLoS ONE, 2012). Now, my research is focused in identifying specific receptor-ligand interaction in the retinal pathology. We choose to study retinopathy induced by diabetes mellitus/hyperglycemia. I have been using Xavier Vivarium and type 1 and type 2 diabetic mice models. I am a trained virologist (Ph.D. in virology) and developed expertise in cloning and characterization of clones while working Kansas State University and LSU School of Medicine (Published in VIROLOGY and Journal of Virology). My expertise in virology and animal model of eye research suitably poised to accomplish the current project of phage-display peptide inhibitor of diabetic retinopathy. My research engages meritorious undergraduate student with bacteriophage/phage research.
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