AdamForrest

Adam Forrest BIONIC Lab Website Bio

Glaucoma is a prevalent and devastating disease that leads to blindness resulting from the neurodegeneration of retinal ganglion cell axons. Elevated intraocular pressure is highly correlated with the incidence of glaucoma, but it is clear there are other factors that contribute to its onset and progression. My current focus lies in understanding how altering biomechanical properties of surrounding tissues has on disease states as well as the role of neighboring glial cells in disease progression. I will also be working to develop neuroprotective interventions that can be utilized to prevent neuronal death in glaucoma mouse models. I will be collaborating closely with Dr. Jonathan Vande Geest and the Soft Tissue Biomechanics Laboratory here at the University of Pittsburgh.

I received my B.S. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University where I worked in the labs of Dr. Andrew Miri and Dr. Gordon Shepherd. There, I studied the functional connectivity of motor regions in mouse cortex by using electrical recordings and optogenetics to help tease out hierarchical relationships between different brain regions. I look forward to applying this experience in basic science as I continue my research into neurodegenerative diseases.