Faculty > Stuart

Patrick M. Stuart, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
(314) 362-9336

B. S. Biochemistry, UCLA (1974); M. S. Microbiology, California State University, Long Beach (1980); Ph.D. Immunology, Northwestern University (1985); Fellow, Immunology, University of Kentucky (1985-1988)

Research Area: Cornea

Research Interests:

Immune responses to infectious agents and alloantigens.

Research in my laboratory can be divided into two related categories. The first concerns the interactions of infectious agents and their products with cells of the immune system. This interaction is important to both the pathogenesis of these agents as well as the role these infections have in the development of some forms of autoimmunity. The primary focus of these studies is to determine the interaction of herpes simplex virus (HSV) with the infected host. HSV infection of the eye is the leading cause of infectious blindness involving corneal destruction. Since this disease is immunopathological , we are interested in fully characterizing the immune response that occurs in infected animals. The ultimate goal of these studies is to produce an effective vaccine that will be effective in preventing this potentially blinding disease.

In addition to these studies, my laboratory is interested understanding those factors involved in corneal allograft rejection and neovascularization. Past work in collaboration with Dr. Tom Ferguson, has demonstrated the Fas Ligand is critical to both the acceptance of corneal allografts and the control of new vessel growth into the cornea. We have also shown that rejection is best associated with strong delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses. We have recently reported the therapeutic value of increasing corneal Fas Ligand to successful corneal transplantation. We have also have been studying mechanisms of immune tolerance that allows the immune system to essentially ignore foreign antigens such as transplanted tissues. Data, thus far indicates that cellular death associated with the interaction of Fas with FasL is intimately involved in at least some forms of immune tolerance.

Selected Publications :

  1. Stuart, P.M., Yin, X., Plambeck, S., Pan, F., and Ferguson , T.A. The role of Fas Ligand as an effector molecule in corneal graft rejection. Eur. J. Immunol., Epub. Aug 22, 2005.
  2. Keadle, T.L., and Stuart, P.M. IL-10 ameliorates corneal disease in a mouse model of recurrent herpetic keratitis. Microb. Path. 38:13-21, 2005.
  3. Stuart, P.M., Yin, X., Pan, F., Haskova, Z., Plambeck, S., and Ferguson , T.A. Effect of matrix metalloproteinases inhibitors on corneal allograft survival. Invest. Ophth.Vis.Sci.45:1169-1173, 2004.
  4. Stuart, P.M., Summers, B., Morris, J.E., Morrison, L.A., and Leib, D.A. CD8 + T cells control corneal disease following ocular infection with HSV-1. J. Gen. Virol.85: 2055-2063, 2004.
  5. Stuart, P.M., Pan, F., Plambeck, S. and Ferguson, T.A. Fas/Fas ligand interactions regulate neovascularization in the cornea. Invest. Ophth. Vis. Sci.4 4:93-98, 2003.
  6. Keadle, T.L., Morrison, L.A., Morris, J.L., Pepose, J.S., and Stuart, P.M. Therapeutic immunization with a virion host shutoff ( vhs ) defective, replication-incompetent HSV-1 strain limits recurrent herpetic ocular infection. J. Virol. 76:3615-3625, 2002.


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