Microbiome-Retina axis: I have a “gut” feeling about this

Recent work demonstrates important role of gut microbiome and retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinopathy of prematurity. Emerging evidence for the existence and pathways of gut-retina axis can elucidate previously unknown pathways involved in retinal diseases and also presents an exciting potential therapeutic avenue. This talk aims to provide an update on recent advances in the current knowledge on the relationship between the gut microbiome and retinal disorders.

Biography

Dimitra Skondra, an internationally renowned vitreoretinal surgeon and physician scientist, is an Associate Professor Ophthalmology & Visual Science and the Director of J. Terry Ernest Ocular Imaging Center.  She is also the founder and leader of UChicago Retinal Microbiome and UChicago Retina Big Data/Bioinformatics team.

Her team focuses on the role of gut microbiome in retinal disorders in particular AMD and ROP. She is considered one of the international leaders and pioneers in this newly emerged field of retinal research using specialized gnotobiotic animal models she has developed and cutting-edge multi-omics approach to delineate the gut-retina axis interactions. Her team, using Big-Data and computational bioinformatics approach is also studying repurposing of known medications for AMD and other retinal and ocular disorders and her work has shown that metformin, a common anti-diabetic medication is protective for AMD and could represent a new therapeutic strategy for AMD.

She has received numerous honors and awards including ARVO Early Career Clinician Scientist, Retina Society Margherio Award, Club Jules Gonin Retina Research Foundation award, ISPB AMD award and has given multiple invited lectures nationally and internationally. She is an invited founding member of International Ocular Circulation Society and the Microbiome Medicine Program, on editorial board of IOVS and Nature’s Scientific Reports and has been elected in retinal section of ARVO Program Committee and Retina’s Society Socioeconomic Committee.