Research Interest

Datta lab studies molecular pathophysiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. AMD , which typically causes a progressive loss of central vision, is the leading cause of blindness among the elderly but has very limited treatment options. AMD is a complex disease with multiple genetic and environmental risk factors involved. RPE cells, which form the blood-retina barrier, is one of the most energy demanding and stress-exposed cell types in the human body. RPE dysfunction is the salient feature of AMD and understanding this dysfunction is the first step towards treating the diseased RPE and thus arresting AMD progression. The overarching interest of the lab is to study mitochondrial function (mitophagy) and oxidative stress response in stem cell derived-RPE and animal model systems using cell biology and ‘omics’ approach. We model the disease using gene environment interaction strategies.
For early stage disease, we  use small molecule metabolic regulators as a therapeutic strategy, whereas in late stage disease we use stem-cell based cell replacement therapy.