Takeshi Yoshimatsu, PhD
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Email: takeshi@nospam.wustl.edu
$75,000 Young Investigator Grant Supports Early Career Development in Vision Research and Ophthalmology
St. Louis, MO – August 16th, 2024 – Takeshi Yoshimatsu,PhD, an Assistant Professor in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (WashU Medicine) has been awarded a $75,000 Young Investigator Grant from The Alcon Research Institute (ARI). This grant award is designed to nurture the early independent career development of promising clinicians and scientists dedicated to advancing our understanding of eye health.
Dr. Yoshimatsu’s awarded research project focuses on the critical role of Müller glia, the primary glial cells in the retina, in forming and maintaining cone outer segments. The outer segment is the cellular compartment responsible for detecting light in cones. The shortening or losing the outer segment in cone degenerative diseases severely impairs visual functions.
The research utilizes zebrafish as a model system and employs cutting-edge genetic and two-photon imaging techniques to explore how Müller glia regulate cone outer segments. The ultimate goal is to uncover the underlying mechanisms and signaling pathways by which Müller glia influence cone health. Intending to identify new therapeutic targets to improve the formation and maintenance of healthy cone outer segments.
The Alcon Research Institute (ARI) supports ophthalmic research worldwide through its virtual institute program. This initiative created by Alcon, the global leader in eye care dedicated to helping people see brilliantly, recognizes exceptional individuals making significant contributions to vision science through research grants and symposiums attended by leading members of the eye research community. Since its founding in 1981, the ARI has revolutionized the study of ocular diseases and has become a bridge to building partnerships with leading researchers around the world, continuously expanding the frontiers of ophthalmic and optometric sciences globally.
About WashU Medicine
WashU Medicine is a global leader in academic medicine, including biomedical research, patient care and educational programs with 2,900 faculty. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio is the second largest among U.S. medical schools and has grown 56% in the last seven years. Together with institutional investment, WashU Medicine commits well over $1 billion annually to basic and clinical research innovation and training. Its faculty practice is consistently within the top five in the country, with more than 1,900 faculty physicians practicing at 130 locations and who are also the medical staffs of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals of BJC HealthCare. WashU Medicine has a storied history in MD/PhD training, recently dedicated $100 million to scholarships and curriculum renewal for its medical students, and is home to top-notch training programs in every medical subspecialty as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and communications sciences.
For more information about Dr. Yoshimatsu’s research, Alcon Research Institute, or WashU Medicine, please visit: Takeshi Yoshimatsu, PhD | Yoshimatsu Lab | WashU Medicine | Alcon Research Institute