Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Edward Levine lab

I am a graduate student in Dr. Edward Levine's lab in the Cell and Developmental Biology department. I work with mouse models to study retinal development, and more specifically, the cellular changes that occur in multipotent retinal progenitor cells (RPCs). My project focuses on Lhx2, a LIM homeodomain transcription factor, and the multiple roles that it plays in the regulation of retinal cell-production. In order to develop a functional retina (and, by extension, have intact vision), the correct cell types and the appropriate proportions of those cells must be produced. Lhx2 governs the proportions and types of cells that are produced in the retina; however, the mechanisms through which Lhx2 regulates these RPC properties are largely unknown. I hope to identify and test potential mechanistic interactions that allow Lhx2 to regulate the production of retinal cells, focusing on events that occur during embryonic retinal development.