Rate My Professor Wenbo Zhang

The research in Dr. Zhang's laboratory elucidates mechanisms of retinal injury in ischemic retinopathies, including diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and glaucoma, encompassing retinal neuronal injury, vascular leakage and degeneration, and pathological angiogenesis. His team examines the roles of endoplasmic reticulum stress, inflammatory chemokines such as CXCL10/CXCR3, Sirt6 in neuroprotection against aging and glaucoma, Epac1 in Müller glial activation and neurodegeneration, and epigenetic regulators in ocular chemical injury. Employing mouse and rat models, primary cell cultures, molecular biology techniques, immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, and advanced imaging, they explore nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery and novel mediators for therapeutic intervention. Dr. Zhang has authored 68 peer-reviewed articles, 5 reviews, and 2 editorials, with notable publications including "Sirt6 protects retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve from degeneration during aging and glaucoma" (Molecular Therapy, 2024), "CXCR3 Deficiency Alleviates Retinal Ganglion Cell Loss by Regulating Neuron–Astrocyte Communication in a Mouse Model of Glaucoma" (Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2025), "Epac1 deletion attenuates Müller glial pathological activation and mitigates retinal neurodegeneration in ischemia-induced retinopathy" (Journal of Advanced Research, 2025), and "Progressive Retinal Vascular and Neuronal Degeneration in BXD32 Mice: A Model for Age-Dependent Neurovascular Pathology" (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2025). His work contributes to brain health research through active grants and collaborations on neurodegenerative diseases using the retina as a window to the brain.