Trainer
Research Focus
As a postdoctoral trainee in the lab of Dr. Aki Ikeda, Dr. Landowski will investigate the molecular pathways disrupted by genetic mutations that accelerate the formation of age-dependent retinal pathologies in mice. His studies will focus on mice with a mutation in transmembrane protein 135 (Tmem135) that display age-dependent retinal pathologies such as RPE abnormalities, photoreceptor degeneration and visual loss. TMEM135 is a mitochondria-associated protein believed to regulate mitochondria dynamics, but the mechanism by which TMEM135 protects an eye from age-dependent pathologies is unknown. Working with Dr. Ikeda, he will use genetic techniques to identify and interrogate pathways perturbed by the TMEM135 deficiency in mice.