The Ocular Pharmacology and Drug Discovery Laboratory is located in the new state-of-the-art Center for Translational Research & Education building on Loyola University Chicago's Health Sciences Campus in Maywood, IL. Under the direction of Dr. Simon Kaja, PhD, the lab’s major research focus is on ocular drug discovery and development for diseases of the anterior and posterior segment. The research in the lab utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to drug discovery, including molecular, pharmacological, biochemical, and genetic approaches.
Congratulations to Cassidy Kessinger, who successfully defended her MS Neuroscience in August 2024!
Cassidy joined Endeavor Health as a Research Assistant.
Kaja S, Iqbal S, et al. Safety and tolerability of pooled human immune globulins after topical ophthalmic administration in New Zealand White rabbits.
Cutan Ocul Toxicol. 2024.
Kleinman D, Iqbal S, Ghosh AK, Ogle SD, Kaja S, Mitchnick M, Hakkarainen JJ. PLL-g-PEG Polymer Inhibits Antibody-Drug Conjugate Uptake into Human Corneal Epithelial Cells In Vitro. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther. 2024
Lelyte I, Rao VR, Kalesnykas G, Ragauskas S, Kaja S, Ahmed Z. Prospects and limitations of cumate-inducible lentivirus as a tool for investigating VEGF-A-mediated pathology in diabetic retinopathy.
Sci Rep. 2024.
Congratulations to
Dr. Sana Iqbal
for successfully defending her PhD with Distinction, for her Dissertation entitled "Molecular Mechanisms and Targeted Therapies for Ocular Surface Disease".
Sana joined AbbVie, Inc. as Senior Scientist in Toxicology.
Congratulations to Bhuvanachandra Pasupuleti, who successfully defended her MS Pharmacology in July 2024!
Bhuvanachandra joined Selagine, Inc. as a Research Scientist.
Congratulations to Maha Khokhar (Mitochondrial antioxidants for ocular surface disease), Varun Shravah (Ex vivo choroidal sprouting assays) and Dr. Lee Troughton (Cytoskeletal mechanosensors in the trabecular meshwork) for being awarded a 2024 ISPB Research grant!
March 2024:The Kaja Lab published an article in Experimental Eye Research describing the critical role of LOXL1 in reactive astrocytosis and the effects on neuron-glia signaling.
Hariani et al. 2023
November 2023: The Kaja Lab contributed to a review highlighting the roles of the immune system, inflammation, and autoantigens in wet age-related macular degeneration.
doi: 10.3390/life13122236
June 2023: Congratulations to Bhuvanachandra the award of an Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness (ISPB) research grant for her project "Effect of recombinant human proteoglycan 4 (hPRG4) on histamine release from mast cells".
June 2023: The Kaja Lab published an article in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics describing the mechanisms of alcohol toxicity on the cornea.
Ghosh et al., 2023
May 2023: Congratulations to Sana for being awarded the top Student Poster Presentation award at the Midwest Regional Chapter of the Society of Toxicology meeting in Mundelein, IL.
May 2023: Simon Kaja was awarded the Runner-Up Prize of the Alice B. Hayes Award for Advising and Mentoring at Loyola University Chicago, recognizing his efforts to Medical and Graduate Education.
September 2022: Congratulations to Vidhya for being awarded a Fight for Sight Grant-in-Aid for her proposal entitled "Antioxidant therapy using manganese porphyrins for the treatment of particulate matter-induced dry eye disease in rabbits".
May 2022: Congratulations to Sana for being awarded the James McKechnie award by the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness for her project entitled "Novel therapeutic approaches to ADC-associated corneal toxicity"
January 2022: The Kaja Lab published an article in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics describing a novel rabbit model for particulate matter-induced dry eye disease.
Ghosh AK, Bacellar-Galdino M, et al., 2022 doi:10.1089/jop.2021.0131
Copyright © 2024 Simon Kaja - All Rights Reserved.
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