Kristina Chern Ertel
Credentials: Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy (Medical College of Wisconsin)
Position title: Graduate student
Email: kertel@mcw.edu
Advisor: Dan Lipinski, PhD
Keywords: Open angle glaucoma, gene therapy
Education
BS 2016, Biology, Marian University, Fond du lac, WI
Research
Kristina’s research revolves around the development of a gene therapy treatment for open angle glaucoma that functions to permanently lower intraocular pressure in a dose dependent manner. Under the mentorship of Dr. Lipinski, she has become well versed in the design and production of recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAV) for ocular injection in rodents (mice and rats) and non-human primates. During her graduate school career, she has also obtained theoretical and hands-on experience in many optical imaging techniques, including confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO), optical coherence tomography (OCT), electroretinography (ERG), and slit lamp biomicroscopy, which have allowed her to conduct a long-term study demonstrating the tolerability and efficacy of the lab’s novel glaucoma gene therapy.