Assistant professor in Ophthalmology
Dr. Amamoto received his B.S. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and subsequently spent one year at EPFL in Switzerland as a Fulbright Fellow. In 2017, he obtained his Ph.D. from the Biological and Biomedical Program at Harvard University. His thesis work with Dr. Paola Arlotta investigated the extent of brain regeneration in the salamander, axolotl. He then completed his postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Connie Cepko in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. During this training period, he discovered a novel role for Retinoic Acid signaling in promoting cone survival in mouse models of Retinitis Pigmentosa. Concurrently, he developed two new methods (Probe-Seq and FIN-Seq) that facilitate cell type-specific transcriptional profiling from organs and organisms of choice.
Ryoji_Amamoto@meei.harvard.edu
Lab Technician
I grew up in Rhode Island and became interested in Biology, particularly Neuroscience, during high school. I pursued a BS in Neuroscience and a BA in Psychology at the University of Rochester, while gaining research experience in neuroimaging and haptics. After graduating, I worked as a Lab Technician in the Telias Lab at the UR Medical Center, where my interest in researching retinal degeneration began. I am excited to be back in New England and to continue learning about retinal degeneration and regeneration here in the Amamoto Lab!
SFarid@meei.harvard.edu
PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Born and raised in Saint Louis, Missouri, my fascination with science was sparked at an early age. It was during my undergraduate years at Saint Louis University that I solidified my passion for scientific exploration, graduating with a BS degree in Biomedical Engineering and conducting research in neuronal and cancer metabolism at Washington University School of Medicine. I then pursued a PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Colin Flaveny studying the role of a nuclear receptor in glioblastoma multiforme and retinal development. Driven by my passion for gene therapy and the potential it holds for treating ophthalmic diseases, I joined Biogen as a Scientist on the Ophthalmology Performance Team within the Gene Therapy Accelerator Unit. In this role, I independently conducted experiments to assess the performance of AAV gene therapy for retinal diseases. Looking ahead, I am excited to continue pursuing my interests in advancing the field of retinal disease therapies.
SMajidi@meei.harvard.edu
Ph.D. (Postdoctoral Fellow)
My scientific journey started in Greece with a BSc in Biosciences. I received a prestigious scholarship to complete my MSc in the Neurochemistry lab of Prof Dimitra Mangoura, in National Kapodestrian University of Athens, working on the molecular signaling of microglia in response to cannabinoids. My interest in neuroscience led me to London, UK where under the mentorship of Prof Rachael Pearson, I received my PhD degree in Neuroscience from University College London funded by Fight for Sight scholarship. My work revolved around cell therapy for retina degeneration and specifically on identifying the molecular mechanisms of cellular interactions between host and donor photoreceptors during photoreceptor transplantations. I then moved to Kings College London for my postdoctoral training where I expanded my knowledge to gene therapy and ways of improving retinal connectivity in retina degeneration under the mentorship of Prof Robin Ali and Prof Rachael Pearson. There, I focused on the impact of genetic manipulation of the extracellular matrix on retinal degeneration.
AKalagyrou@meei.harvard.edu
PhD (Postdoctoral Fellow)
Born and raised in Abington MA, my story takes place entirely within the state of Massachusetts. It was during my senior year of high school that I decided to pursue my interest in science as a career. From there, I went on to earn my BS degree in Biomedical Sciences at Bridgewater State University. Shortly thereafter, while working alongside scientists at Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston, I realized my passion for research. Fueled by this newfound passion and an interest in cell signaling, I pursued a graduate degree at Umass Boston. Under the mentorship of Dr. Jens Rister, I studied the molecular mechanisms that control color photoreceptor subtype specification in the Drosophila retina. Having completed my PhD in the summer of 2024, I look forward to applying the knowledge I have attained from studying the development of the Drosophila visual system to the mammalian retina to further our understanding of retinal disease!
JRBunker@meei.harvard.edu
Research Fellow
I grew up in New Mexico and moved to Tennessee for my BS in Neuroscience at Rhodes College. To complement my academic training in neuroscience, I spent a summer at the Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil as an NIH MHRT fellow to study the genetic basis of color blindness. I really enjoyed the lab environment and upon graduation, applied for a research technologist position on Dr. Beth Stewart’s translational research team at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Here, we developed clinically relevant models for pediatric solid tumors and subsequently, preclinical trials. This rewarding experience solidified my desire to pursue a career as a scientist! I earned my PhD in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Dyer where I discovered modular and cell-type specific enhancers in the developing retina, leading to the NEI F31 and Doctoral Research Achievement award. I’m currently an NINDS F99/K00 and BWF PDEP fellow and am excited to study regeneration. When I am not in the lab, I enjoy running, backpacking and cheering for the Boston Celtics!
vhonnell@meei.harvard.eduAlumni
Kasin Gumes PhD
I was born in Ankara, Turkiye. In 2014, I started working as a Research Assistant. After beginning my Ph.D. studies at Marmara University, Istanbul-Turkiye, I joined Dong Feng Chen’s lab in 2022 and subsequently started working with Ryoji Amamoto. Currently, I am a Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow and Visitor Ph.D. student at Mass Eye and Ear. My thesis work focuses on photoreceptor cell degeneration-regeneration in inherited retinal degeneration.
