The Translational Visual Sciences Laboratory, located at the Montreal Neurological Institute, focuses on mechanisms of retinal ganglion cell death at the molecular, tissue culture, and whole animal level. This includes the role axonal damage plays in inducing loss of retinal ganglion cells and how axons themselves undergo injury, an area common to ophthalmology and neurology. Under the direction of Dr. Leonard A. Levin, Professor of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Neurology & Neurosurgery, the lab is particularly interested in using advanced imaging techniques to study signaling of cell death in the retina and the development of new drugs for optic nerve and retinal disease. Damage to axons (nerve fibers) in the nervous system causes irreversible loss of function.
The laboratory is also interested in the challenges associated with successfully translating basic science research into clinically effective therapies and has been involved with the design and assessment of clinical trials to study neuroprotective therapies in various optic neuropathies.
The laboratory is a collaborative environment, including undergraduates, graduates, and postgraduates from the Faculty of Science, the Integrative Program in Neuroscience, and research associates.
Contact Information
Leonard A. Levin, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Email: chaireye.med [at] mcgill.ca (l)eonard.levin [at] mcgill.ca
Publications: PubMed
Academic Affiliations: Ophthalmology, Neurology and Neurosurgery
Clinical Interests: Optic neuropathies
Research Groups: Neurodegenerative Diseases