Christopher J. Murphy, DVM, PhD, DACVO

Education
BS 1978, Cornell University
DVM 1983, Cornell University
PhD 1984, Cornell University
Residency in Comparative Ophthalmology 1984-87, UC Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine
Corneal Fellowship 1987-89, UC Davis, Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, School of Medicine

Research Interests
Dr. Murphy has advanced training and expertise in corneal diseases and surgery, comparative physiological optics, comparative ocular anatomy, as well as ocular diseases of laboratory and exotic animals. His laboratory has several active areas of research, including:

1)  Modulation of cell behaviors by biophysical attributes of the extracellular matrix: With many collaborators, Dr. Murphy is determining how biophysical attributes (nanoscale topography and compliance) of the extracellular matrix modulate fundamental cell behaviors such as orientation, adhesion, migration, differentiation and proliferation. These studies have relevance to improved design of biomaterials as well as increasing our understanding of the microenvironment of cells in health and disease.

2)  Modulation of wound healing using engineering principals: A large, interdisciplinary team is engaged in developing novel approaches to accelerate wound healing of the cornea and skin through functionalizing wound beds rather than treating with standard soluble factors, seeking to improve wound healing outcomes.

3)  Comparative ocular functional morphology: Dr. Murphy studies how various animals have evolved unique optical adaptations for optimizing their visual performance under challenging environmental conditions.

4)  Development of improved solutions for organ storage prior to transplantation: In collaboration with Professor Jon McAnulty, transplant surgeon at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Murphy has found that the addition of a unique combination of trophic factors can markedly extend the time that an organ can be stored and improve its performance once it is transplanted.

Dr. Murphy’s laboratories also work with industry and provide services including performance of in vitro cytotoxicity assays using primary cultures from human ocular cell lines (cornea and trabecular meshwork) and conducting proof of principal studies using animal models.

Publications
PubMed Listing of Publications