Akihiro Ikeda, DVM, PhD

Education
PhD 1997, University of Tokyo (Physiology)
Postdoctoral Fellowship 1997-2003, The Jackson Laboratory

Research Interests
For age-dependent diseases to manifest themselves in an age-dependent manner, there must be tight association between the disease-causing mechanisms and cellular changes that occur with aging. Therefore, it is important to understand how the aging process is regulated at the molecular level, and how the aging process is associated with disease mechanisms. The retina offers an excellent model to study these mechanisms, since age-dependent changes can be quantitatively monitored due to its well-organized layered structure.  The Ikeda laboratory studies the mechanisms underlying age-dependent abnormalities in the retina using a forward genetics approach. A major advantage of this phenotype-driven approach is that it offers the potential of identifying previously unknown genes and molecular pathways affecting age-dependent retinal phenotypes.

Specifically, the laboratory aims to identify gene mutations that lead to early onset of aging phenotypes in the mouse retina, as well as to identify genes that cause the difference in the severity of age-dependent retinal abnormalities observed between two mouse inbred strains. Identification of these genes will allow Dr. Ikeda to elucidate the molecular mechanisms causing the age-dependent retinal abnormalities, and therefore, should enhance understanding of age-dependent retinal diseases and aging of the retina.

Publications
PubMed Listing of Publications