Ben Sajdak, PhD

Education
AA 2006, Marketing, Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, WI
BS 2013, Biology and Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI
PhD 2018, Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Research
Dr. Sajdak’s goals are two-fold: (1) To find more human-relevant animal models for retinal disease and (2) to learn from the natural abilities found in mammals to develop disease treatments. Dr. Sajdak works with the 13-lined ground squirrel, a rodent that uses its sight during the day (like us, but unlike traditional laboratory rodents). These ground squirrels have remarkable disease resistant abilities that accompany their annual hibernation cycle. When their body goes through long periods of metabolic dormancy called “torpor,” these ground squirrels deactivate their vision entirely and their cone photoreceptor cells lose structure and function. When the ground squirrels emerge from hibernation, their cones rapidly regenerate and its vision returns within hours. This remarkable adaptation is a source for inspiring new disease treatments, and their cone rich retinas make them a great model for evaluating new treatments as well.