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The Center for Translational Vision Research Distinguished Speaker Series, also known as "Friday Seminars" showcases innovative research across the world. The seminar series has now been expanded to include lectures by experts on topics ranging from Ophthalmology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Neurobiology, Imaging, Computational Sciences to Novel Ophthalmic Treatments.
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My lab focuses on understanding the innate defense and immunoregulatory functions of corneal epithelial cells. Epithelial tissues form a protective lining of the body, including the outer surfaces that are exposed to the environment, as well as the inner body cavities, glands, and ducts. Through constitutive and inducible expression of danger- and pathogen-associated molecular pattern recognition receptors, innate defense molecules, cytokines and chemokines, epithelial cells serve as an essential component of the innate immune system to stop pathogens right at the points of entry before they can cause diseases, regulate regional immune and inflammatory responses, and maintain tissue homeostasis. Recently, we discovered that the C-terminal fragments of a cytokeratin protein, K6, in corneal epithelial cells are antimicrobial, and that endogenous K6 regulates signaling pathways to control production of inflammatory mediators. These are unexpected functions for keratin proteins since they have long been viewed as the building blocks of cytoskeleton that maintain structural integrity and resilience of epithelial cells. Given the wide distribution of K6 among different epithelial tissues, as well as the structural and functional similarities shared among different keratins, our studies aim to advance understanding of epithelial innate immune functions of the cornea and other sites of the body and to contribute to biocompatible anti-infective and immunoregulatory drug development in the post-antibiotic era.