Apte Lab

Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Dr. Apte’s profile

Apte Lab Webpage

Research Interests:
Innate immunity and immune effector mechanisms in the retina; oxidative stress and cell death; models of developmental angiogenesis and neovascularization; inflammation and photoreceptor survival; macular degeneration

Research

  1. The role of the innate immune system in regulating pathologic angiogenesis.
  2. The effects of senescence on macrophage gene regulation.
  3. Oxidative stress, inflammation and the regulation of cell death in models of macular degeneration.
  4. Regulation of photoreceptor cell death by inflammation.

Current Projects:

  • Investigating the role of the innate immune system in regulating angiogenesis.
  • Using tissue specific deletion of soluble and membrane expressed molecular activators of macrophage function in order to define the role of these cells in regulating developmental and post-developmental angiogenesis.
  • Using cell-specific deletion of genes involved in response to oxidative stress and autophagy in order to evaluate the function of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and to examine the pathobiology of RPE cell death and its association with disease progression.
  • To investigate the mechanisms that promote ischemia induced retinopathy during development.
  • To investigate the mechanisms underlying photoceptor cell death in models of retinal disease.
  • To study the role of lipids in regulating inflammation during the aging of the immune system.
  • Gene expression analysis of the macrophage transcriptome and the effects of aging.

Publications

View Rajendra Apte’s NCBI publications on PubMed»

Fundamental Research (*Corresponding Author)

  1. Nakamura R, Sene A, Santeford A, Gdoura A, Kubota S, Zapata N, Apte RS*. IL10-driven STAT3 signalling in senescent macrophages promotes pathological eye angiogenesis. Nat Commun. 2015; 6:7847. [PMID:26260587]
  2. Zhou Z, Doggett TA, Sene A, Apte RS, Ferguson TA. Autophagy supports survival and phototransduction protein levels in rod photoreceptors. Cell Death Differ. 2015; 22(3):488-98. [PMID:25571975]
  3. Sene A, Chin-Yee D, Apte RS*. Seeing through VEGF: innate and adaptive immunity in pathological angiogenesis in the eye. Trends Mol Med. 2015;21(1):43-51. Review. [PMID:25457617]
  4. Oladipupo SS, Smith C, Santeford A, Park C, Sene A, Wiley LA, Osei-Owusu P, Hsu J, Zapata N, Liu F, Nakamura R, Lavine KJ, Blumer KJ, Choi K, Apte RS, Ornitz DM. Endothelial cell FGF signaling is required for injury response but not for vascular homeostasis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2014;111(37):13379-84. [PMID: 25139991]
  5. Silberman DM, Ross K, Sande PH, Kubota S, Ramaswamy S, Apte RS, Mostoslavsky R. SIRT6 is required for normal retinal function. PLoS One. 2014; 9(6) [PMID:24896097]
  6. Stein LR, Wozniak DF, Dearborn JT, Kubota S, Apte RS, Izumi Y, Zorumski CF, Imai S. Expression of Nampt in hippocampal and cortical excitatory neurons is critical for cognitive function. J Neurosci. 2014; 34(17):5800-15. doi: [PMID:24760840]
  7. Sene A, Apte RS*. Eyeballing cholesterol efflux and macrophage function in disease pathogenesis. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2014; 25(3):107-14. Review. [PMID: 24252662]
  8. Zhao H, Roychoudhury J, Doggett TA, Apte RS, Ferguson TA. Age-dependent changes in FasL (CD95L) modulate macrophage function in a model of age-related macular degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54(8):5321-31. [PMID:23821188]
  9. Sene A, Khan AA, Cox D, Nakamura RE, Santeford A, Kim BM, Sidhu R, Onken MD, Harbour JW, Hagbi-Levi S, Chowers I, Edwards PA, Baldan A, Parks JS, Ory DS, Apte RS*. Impaired cholesterol efflux in senescent macrophages promotes age-related macular degeneration. Cell Metab. 2013;17(4):549-61. [PMID:23562078]
  10. Cruz-Guilloty F, Saeed AM, Echegaray JJ, Duffort S, Ballmick A, Tan Y, Betancourt M, Viteri E, Ramkhellawan GC, Ewald E, Feuer W, Huang D, Wen R, Hong L, Wang H, Laird JM, Sene A, Apte RS, Salomon RG, Hollyfield JG, Perez VL. Infiltration of proinflammatory m1 macrophages into the outer retina precedes damage in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration. Int J Inflam. 2013; 2013:503725. [PMID: 23533946]

Translational Research

  1. Kumar GN, Rao PK, Apte RS*. Microstructural retinal findings by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography after vitrectomy repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2015 (4):493-8. [PMID:25932731]
  2. Oshima Y, Apte RS, Nakao S, Yoshida S, Ishibashi T. Full thickness macular hole case after intravitreal aflibercept treatment. BMC Ophthalmol. 2015;15:30. [PMID: 25881212]
  3. Earl JB, Lee CS, Yom V, Van Stavern GP, Abuattieh M, Chin-Yee D, Rao PK, Apte RS*. Visual cycle suppression via patching in central serous chorioretinopathy. Ophthalmology. 2014;121(12):2502-4. [PMID:25109933]
  4. Rao RC, Choudhry N, Apte RS*. Subconjunctival bevacizumab for iris neovascularisation – Authors’ reply. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2014;2(6):450-1. [PMID: 24880562]
  5. Rao RC, Choudhry N, Apte RS*. Regression of iris neovascularisation secondary to diabetic retinopathy with subconjunctival anti-VEGF therapy. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2014; 2(2):182. [PMID:24622722]
  6. Nguyen-Khoa BA, Goehring EL, Werther W, Fung AE, Do DV, Apte RS, Jones JK. Hospitalized cardiovascular events in patients with diabetic macular edema. BMC Ophthalmol. 2012;12:11. [PMID:22646811]
  7. Dewan V, Lambert D, Edler J, Kymes S, Apte RS*. Cost-effectiveness analysis of ranibizumab plus prompt or deferred laser or triamcinolone plus prompt laser for diabetic macular edema. Ophthalmology. 2012;119(8):1679-84. [PMID:22503301]
  8. Kraus CL, Rao PK, Apte RS*. Effect of preoperative vitreous status on visual outcomes following vitrectomy for epiretinal membrane repair. Can J Ophthalmol. 2011;46(2):186-90. [PMID:21708089]
  9. Sheybani A, Brantley MA Jr., Apte RS. Pattern electroretinography in age-related macular degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol 2011; 129(5):580-4. [PMID:2155610]

Published Abstracts

  1. Pitha IF, Sporn MB, Apte RS. Inhibition of Choroidal Neovascularization by the Synthetic Oleanane Triterpenoid CDDO-Im. (E-Abstract #4879) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2011: Annual Meeting Abstract and Program Planner accessed at www.arvo.org. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
  2. Kraus CL, Rao K, Apte RS. The Effect of Pre-Operative Vitreous Status on Visual Outcomes Following Epiretinal Membrane Surgery. (E-Abstract #3608) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2011: Annual Meeting Abstract and Program Planner accessed at www.arvo.org. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
  3. Dewan V, Lambert D, Kymes S, Apte RS. A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Randomized Trial Evaluating Ranibizumab Plus Prompt or Deferred Laser or Triamcinolone Plus Prompt Laser for Diabetic Macular Edema. (E-Abstract #559) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2011: Annual Meeting Abstract and Program Planner accessed at www.arvo.org. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
  4. Sheybani A, Brantley MA, Apte RS. Choroidal Neovascularization Assessment by Pattern Electroretinography after Ranibizumab in Naïve Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients (CAPTAIN). (E-Abstract #6417) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010; 51 Annual Meeting Abstract and Program Planner accessed at www.arvo.org. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
  5. Khan AA, Dace D, Ryazanov AG, Kelly J, Apte RS. Resveratrol Regulates Pathologic Angiogenesis by a Eukaryotic Elongation Factor-2 Kinase Pathway. (E-Abstract #6383) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010; 51 Annual Meeting Abstract and Program Planner accessed at www.arvo.org. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
  6. Khan AA, Dace D, Ryazanov AG, Kelly J, Apte RS. Resveratrol Regulates Pathologic Angiogenesis by a Eukaryotic Elongation Factor-2 Kinase Pathway. (E-Abstract #6383) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010; 51 Annual Meeting Abstract and Program Planner accessed at www.arvo.org. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
  7. Chu FB, Vollman DE, Apte RS, Cohen BH, Siegfried CJ, Kymes SM. An economic evaluation of prophylactic NSAID use with cataract surgery to prevent cystoid macular edema (E-Abstract #4562) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010; 51 Annual Meeting Abstract and Program Planner accessed at www.arvo.org. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.
  8. Abraham LS, Schimel AM, Apte RS, et al. Tert-Butyl Hydroperoxide Induced Oxidative Damage in ARPE-19 Cells and Protection by N-Acetylcysteine Amide, a Low Molecular Weight Thiol Antioxidant. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 2008; 45(supp 1):S78.
  9. Schadlu R, Apte RS. Treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration with PDT and intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetate. (Abstract #313) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2005; 46(suppl S).
  10. Apte RS, Gonzalez RAB, Ferguson TA. Role of IL-10 in choroidal neovascularization. (Abstract #2228) Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2004; 45(supp 1):U804.