Shelley Boyd
BSc, MD, FRCS(C)
Our team focuses on the mechanisms and potential treatments of blinding eye disease. We take a fully integrated translational approach that includes pre-clinical models of disease, biomarker development, and early and late phase clinical trial.
Research Synopsis
Presently our lab focuses on Age Related Macular Degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the western world. We have a unique model that develops so-called “dry” AMD, which accounts for approximately 85% of all cases and for which there is no cure. To provide a direct link between clinical observation and disease modelling, we use the same in vivo imaging techniques that are used to evaluate patients – and we couple this with tissue analysis. This allows us, for the first time, to make novel correlations between clinical findings and pathogenesis. We have shown a role of the innate immune system in disease progression. Current studies focus on novel therapeutics, drug delivery and tissue repair.
Recent Publications
The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway mediates retinal progenitor cell survival under hypoxic and superoxide stress. KP Sanghera KP, N Mathalone, R Baigi, E Panov, D Wang, X Zhao, H Hsu, H Wang, V Tropepe, M Ward, Shelley R Boyd. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 47(2):145-53, June 2011
Effectiveness at 1 Year of Monthly versus Variable-Dosing Intravitreal Ranibizumab in the Treatment of Choroidal Neovascularization Secondary to Age-related Macular Degeneration. G Katz, L Giavedoni, R Muni, T Evans, M Pezda, D Wong, F Altomare, Shelley R Boyd and A Berger, Retina, September 2011.
Combined optical coherence tomography and electroretinography system for in vivo simultaneous morphological and functional imaging of the rodent retina. Moayed AA, Hariri S, Hyun C, Doran B, Kraft TW, Shelley R Boyd, Bizheva K. Journal of Biomedical Optics, 15(4):040506, July-Aug 2010