Retinal Epigenetics and Genomics Laboratory

Principal Investigator

Issam Al Diri, PhD
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Member of the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration

 

Research Interests

  • Retinal proliferation and differentiation during development
  • Three-dimensional nuclear architecture of retinal cells
  • Epigenetic landscape dynamics during retinal development
  • Coordination of retinal development by chromatin regulators
  • Epigenetics of retinal degenerative diseases

Our work aims at elucidating the transcriptional regulatory networks that control the transition from retinal proliferation to differentiation and subsequent cell fate choices and how abnormalities in these networks contribute to ocular diseases. In particular, understanding how chromatin architecture is involved in the regulation of gene expression in the retina has been our long-standing interest. Our overarching goal is to gain insights into the principles that govern the link between 3D nuclear organization, chromatin structure and regulation of gene expression during retinogenesis and utilize this information to advance our understanding to the genetic and epigenetic basis of ocular disorders, particularly retinal degenerative diseases. Our group employs multidisciplinary approach that incorporates conventional molecular, cellular and genetic toolkits along with rapidly developing technologies that map genome topology

Contact Information

Issam Al Diri, PhD

3501 5th Ave.
Room 3015 BST3
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
aldirii@pitt.edu
412-648-4260

Al Diri lab website

https://www.aldirilab.com