Distinguished Speaker Series | Jian-Xing Ma, MD, PhD

Dr. Jian-Xing Ma, MD, PhD is a Professor and Chair of Biochemistry at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, with additional appointments in Ophthalmology and in Microbiology & Immunology, where he leads a nationally recognized research program focused on the molecular mechanisms that drive diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and other ischemic retinal diseases. His work centers on how dysregulated angiogenic signaling—particularly through hypoxia-inducible pathways and VEGF regulation—intersects with metabolic stress, inflammation, and neurovascular dysfunction to promote retinal pathology. By integrating biochemistry, molecular genetics, pharmacology, and in vivo disease models, the Ma Lab investigates how hypoxia, lipid mediators, oxidative stress, and inflammatory signaling disrupt retinal homeostasis and contribute to vascular leakage, neuronal injury, and abnormal neovascularization. A major thrust of his research involves developing therapeutic strategies that modulate angiogenesis, protect the neurovascular unit, and restore metabolic balance to prevent vision loss in diabetic eye disease. Dr. Ma earned his MD from Jiangxi Medical College and his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Medical University of South Carolina, followed by extensive postdoctoral training in retinal vascular biology. His work has been continuously supported by the NIH and major vision research foundations, and his publications have significantly advanced the understanding of how molecular stress pathways drive retinal degeneration, bridging fundamental biochemical research with translational efforts to preserve sight.