Methods of Studying Retinal Vessels in Health and Diseases

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editor

Mohamed Al-Shabrawey

Augusta University, Dental and Medical College of Georgia

Dr. Al-Shabrawey is a Professor of Anatomy and Neuroscience at the Dental and Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University (AU). He is a member of the Culver Vision Discovery Institute at AU. Dr. Al-Shabrawey finished his medical education at The College of Medicine, Mansoura University-Egypt. He then obtained his MSc and PhD in Anatomical Sciences from The College of Medicine, Mansoura University-Egypt. He also finished his predoctoral and postdoctoral research training at the Vascular Biology Center, Medical College of Georgia before pursuing his independent research program. His research program focuses on investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction in diabetic retinopathy and Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Particularly, he focuses on the role of bioactive lipids and the bone morphogenetic proteins in mediating early inflammatory responses, breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier, and pathological neovascularization associated with diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Al-Shabrawey has widely published in this area and his research has been continuously funded by several organizations including the NIH. He has mentored several graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, medical students, undergraduate students, and residents from several countries. Dr. Al-Shabrawey has been awarded several awards including the outstanding faculty award and teaching excellence award (AU), Research excellence award (Qatar National Research Foundation), President’s Award (ARVO).

Collection Overview

The retinal vasculatures include two systems, the retinal vessels, and choriocapillaries. Retinal vessels drive from the central retinal artery and supply the inner retina and the choriocapillaries supply the outer retina including the photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium. In humans, the development of retinal vessels is completed before birth. However, retinal vascular development occurs post-natal in mice and rats to reach a human-like structure. This allows investigators to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms of normal development of retinal blood vessels and to develop experimental models of pathological retinal neovascularization (RNV) to mimic the vascular changes in retinal diseases such as retinopathy prematurity, proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. In diseases like diabetes, retinal vessels are also subjected to other pathological changes such as the breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier and subsequent vascular leakage, leukocyte adhesion as well as death of pericytes and endothelial cells that lead to acellular capillaries. The goal of this special Methods Collection is to share the expertise of vision scientists and ophthalmologists in the methods of studying normal vascular development and vascular abnormalities in various retinal diseases with other researchers.