Synergistic Agonists and Antagonists of G Protein-Coupled Receptors Prevent Photoreceptor Cell Degeneration
Since high school I have wanted to understand all that is unknown to me. My first exposure to vision research, under the guidance of Dr. P. Hargrave, ignited my passion for science and its clinical applications, and this burns even brighter today. Years of painstaking exploration of poorly understood components of the visual system and structures of key visual system proteins (rhodopsin, RPE65, and others) (see diagram), along with innovation of methods in modern biochemistry and pharmacology and advances made in collaboration with my colleagues in the field have brought us to our current molecular understanding of vision. With the engagement of a first rate crew of young scientists, it is time to combine these elements to prevent the progression of blinding retinal diseases. Systems pharmacology is an extremely exciting concept that promises novel treatment options for the most prevalent ophthalmic diseases in a short period of time. Current work allows evaluation of this hypothesis through implementation of systems pharmacology approaches across multiple experimental settings. It is a well-known secret that many scientific advances made in vision research transcend ophthalmology itself, promoting groundbreaking discoveries in other medical fields. Applications of systems pharmacology to vision research have the potential to lead the way.
