Ryoji
Amamoto

My scientific journey began at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, when I joined a lab as an undergraduate research assistant to study the mechanism of Parkinson’s disease pathogenesis. Upon completing my neurobiology degree, I became a Fulbright Scholar at EPFL in Switzerland in the lab of Dr. Patrick Aebischer. During this one year abroad, I studied the role of autophagy in rat models of Parkinson’s disease, using AAV gene therapy strategies. Upon returning to the United States, I started my Ph.D. training at Harvard Medical School in the lab of Dr. Paola Arlotta. For the next 6 years, I studied the molecular and cellular mechanisms of brain regeneration in axolotls, a salamander that is famous for regenerating every body part from the heart to the limbs.

Upon graduation, I joined the lab of Dr. Connie Cepko at Harvard Medical School to elucidate the mechanisms of cone degeneration in mouse models of Retinitis Pigmentosa. As an extension of this work, I began my independent scientific career as a Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School. In our lab, we are studying the molecular mechanisms of retinal degeneration, development, and regeneration, with the overall goal of developing new therapeutic strategies to prolong healthy vision for patients suffering from retinal diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa and Age-Related Macular Degeneration.