Distinguished Speaker Series | Gulab Zode, PhD

Dr. Gulab S. Zode, PhD is a Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California, Irvine, where he leads a laboratory focused on mechanistic and translational glaucoma research. His work investigates how endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, autophagy, and protein misfolding contribute to dysfunction of the trabecular meshwork—a key tissue in regulating intraocular pressure (IOP). He also develops new genetic tools and mouse models to study and potentially reverse glaucomatous damage. Dr. Zode has received multiple NIH‐funded grants to pursue novel genome editing approaches, chemical chaperones, and ER stress reduction strategies as potential treatments for glaucoma. His research has revealed that reducing ER stress in ocular tissues can rescue glaucomatous phenotypes in animal models—offering hope for therapeutic translation. He has published extensively in the field of vision research and glaucoma, and his work is recognized for bridging molecular biology, cell stress pathways, and in vivo disease modeling. In addition to his scientific contributions, Dr. Zode mentors trainees and collaborates across disciplines to accelerate innovations in glaucoma diagnosis and treatment.