Sadun Lab

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Principal Investigator

Alfredo A. Sadun, MD, PhD

Flora L. Thornton Professor of Vision and Vice-Chair, Department of Ophthalmology, UCLA School of Medicine, Estelle Doheny Eye Institute

PhD, Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine 1976
MD, Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine 1978
Resident in Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School 1979-1982
Clinical Fellow with S. Lessell, Neuro-ophthalmology, Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School 1983
Howe Laboratories – Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School; Laboratory of Neuroanatomy, 1982-1983

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Researchers

Fred N. Ross-Cisneros, BA

Research Associate, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Doheny Eye Institute, UCLA

BA, Bachelor’s of Psychology and Biology, Focus in Neuroanatomy and Neuroscience, University of Southern California, 1989

Research Interests: Role of neurological disorders, primarily those with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations associated with visual dysfunction. Role of melanopsin class of retinal ganglion cells and why they often appear resistant to various types of mtDNA mutations and/or cellular stress.

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Danielle A. Gauthier

Undergraduate Research Intern

BA, Comparative Literature, University of California, Los Angeles, 2022

Research Interests: Effects of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations on the optic nerve in neuro-ophthalmological diseases particularly Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON)

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Research Fellows

Maryam Golmohammadi, MD

Clinical and research fellows, Doheny Eye Institute, UCLA
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Shenoda Abd Elmaseh, MD

Clinical and research fellows, Doheny Eye Institute, UCLA
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Nutsa Pargalava, MD

Clinical and research fellows, Doheny Eye Institute, UCLA
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Collaborators

Valerio Carelli, MD, PhD

Tenure Permanent Researcher
Chief of the Laboratory of Neurogenetics, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna School of Medicine

Chiara La Morgia, MD, PhD

Senior Assistant Professor (fixed-term), Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna School of Medicine

Maya Koronyo, PhD

Professor, Department of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Applied Cell Biology and Physiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Yosef Koronyo, MSc, LLB

Research Associate IV, Key Collaborator, Department of Neurosurgery and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Applied Cell Biology and Physiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Jerry Sebag, MD

Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA
Senior Research Scientist, Doheny Eye Institute, UCLA

Sadun Group Alumni

Post-docs Trained in Lab

Carl Bassi, PhD

1988-1990

Neuro-anatomy: worked on parallel processing of vision, magnocellular projections

Yoshi Kashima, MD

1991-1993

Immunohistochemistry of optic nerve and retina to show selective degeneration

Michele Madigan, PhD

1994-1996

The role of glia in retinal and optic nerve injuries

Hugo Hsu, MD

1996-1998

The role of tumor necrosis factor in damaging retinal ganglion cells

Valerio Carelli, MD, PhD

1997-2000

The molecular basis of Leber’s
Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

Hossein Saadati, MD

1997-1999

Histopathology of LHON and other optic neuropathies

Stephan Dunker, MD

1998-2000

Neurosn specific enolase as a marker of neuronal distress in optic nerve disease

Niphon Chirapapaisan, MD

2003-2004

The role of Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) in optic neuropathies

Yoshi Kitaoka, MD

2004-2005

A cytokine model of AIDS associated optic neuropathy

Yuko Emoto, MD

2007-2008

Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy and Sleep Apnea

Maria Maqsoed, MD

2008-2009

Testing the peripheral HVF in LHON

Hirofumi Emoto, MD

2007-2008

Vitreous traction and Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Dirya Aggarwal, MD

2008-2009

Management of Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

Makeep Singh, MD

2008-2009

NMDA Receptors in HIV optic nerve

Thu Nguyen, MD

2008-2010

Assessment of sleep apnea in NAION

Joyce Liang

2008-2009

Amyloid in retina and optic nerves in aging and HIV

Ali Shariati

2009

NMDA Receptors in HIV optic nerve

Edward Chu, MD

2011

Differentiating Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy by comparison of Landolt and Vernier acuities

Rustum, Karanjia, MD, PhD

2014

Informatics of LHON data from Brazilian hypercube

Henry Liu, MD

2022

The effects of Covid and Long-Covid on the retinal nerve fiber layer

Fellows trained in Neuro-ophthalmology

Deborah Friedman, MD

1986–1987

Andrew Lawton, MD

1987–1988

Vivian Rismondo, MD

1989–1991

Ping-I Chou, MD

1991–1992

Federico Sadun, MD

1992–1993

Jerry Jou, MD

1994–1996

Tamara Fountain, MD

1995–1996

Richard Rubin, MD

1996–1998

Arturo Carta, MD

1997–1998

Tere Vives, MD

1998–1999

Swaraj Bose, MD

1998–2000

Peter Quiros, MD

2000–2002

Alfio Piva, MD

2002–2003

Madhu Agarwal, MD

2003-2004

Guy Jirawuthiworavong, MD

2004–2005

Kevin Kolostyak, MD

2005–2006

Rogerio Farsoni, MD

2006-2007

Vivek Patel, MD

2006–2007

Alice Kim, MD

2007–2008

Adriana Savoia, MD

2008-2009

Courtney Flanagan, MD

2009–2010

Khizer Khaderi, MD

2010–2011

Anne Kao, MD

2011-2012

Chantal Boisvert, MD

2012–2013

Michelle Wang, MD

2013–2014

Rustum Karanjia, MD, PhD

2014–2015

Supanut Apinyawasisuk, MD

2015–2016

Giulia Amore, MD

2017–2018

Stacey Cohitmingao, MD

2018–2019

Francesca Allegrini, MD

2019

Uchenna (Francis) Nwako, MD

2018–2019

Alvaro Mejia, MD

2019–2020

Nicholas Seleme, MD

2019-2020

Roxana Teodorescu, MD

2020-2021

Sam Spiegel, MD

2021-2022

Brian Chou, MD

2022-2023

Casey Mairghread, MD

2022-2023

Medical Students taking a 5th-year option:

Received RPB Funding ($30,000)
+Received Dean’s Award ($22,000)*

Hugo Hsu

2003-2005

*Ruben Sanchez

2005-2006

*Ashley Hayden

2006-2007

*Janet Kim

2007–2008

Priya Gupta

2007–2008

Michelle Wang

2008–2009

+*Lloyd Cuzzo

2009–2010

+*Kevin Tozer

2011-2012

+Louis Hirsch

2011–2012

+*Billy Pan

2011–2012

+Kelly Rue

2011–2012

+Ahn Pham

2012-2013

+Starleen Whit

2012–2013

+Christianne Wa

2013–2014

+Andrew Pouw

2013-2014

Jassdeep Chahal

2014–2015

Youning Zhang

2014–2015

Jack Tian

2015–2016

*Sam Asanaad

2017–2018

Angela Oh

2018-2019

Sadun Lab

Principal Investigator

Alfredo A. Sadun, MD, PhD

Researchers

Fred N. Ross-Cisneros, BA

Danielle A. Gauthier

Research Fellows

Maryam Golmohammadi, MD

Shenoda Abd Elmaseh, MD

Nutsa Pargalava, MD

Collaborators

Valerio Carelli, MD, PhD

Chiara La Morgia, MD, PhD

Maya Koronyo, PhD

Yosef Koronyo, MSc, LLB

Jerry Sebag, MD

Sadun Group Alumni

Post-docs Trained in Lab

Carl Bassi, PhD

Yoshi Kashima, MD

Michele Madigan, PhD

Hugo Hsu, MD

Valerio Carelli, MD, PhD

Hossein Saadati, MD

Stephan Dunker, MD

Niphon Chirapapaisan, MD

Yoshi Kitaoka, MD

Yuko Emoto, MD

Maria Maqsoed, MD

Hirofumi Emoto, MD

Dirya Aggarwal, MD

Makeep Singh, MD

Thu Nguyen, MD

Joyce Liang

Ali Shariati

Edward Chu, MD

Rustum, Karanjia, MD, PhD

Henry Liu, MD

Fellows trained in Neuro-ophthalmology

Deborah Friedman, MD

Andrew Lawton, MD

Vivian Rismondo, MD

Ping-I Chou, MD

Federico Sadun, MD

Jerry Jou, MD

Tamara Fountain, MD

Richard Rubin, MD

Arturo Carta, MD

Tere Vives, MD

Swaraj Bose, MD

Peter Quiros, MD

Alfio Piva, MD

Madhu Agarwal, MD

Guy Jirawuthiworavong, MD

Kevin Kolostyak, MD

Rogerio Farsoni, MD

Vivek Patel, MD

Alice Kim, MD

Adriana Savoia, MD

Courtney Flanagan, MD

Khizer Khaderi, MD

Anne Kao, MD

Chantal Boisvert, MD

Michelle Wang, MD

Rustum Karanjia, MD, PhD

Supanut Apinyawasisuk, MD

Giulia Amore, MD

Stacey Cohitmingao, MD

Francesca Allegrini, MD

Uchenna (Francis) Nwako, MD

Alvaro Mejia, MD

Nicholas Seleme, MD

Roxana Teodorescu, MD

Sam Spiegel, MD

Brian Chou, MD

Casey Mairghread, MD

Medical Students taking a 5th-year option:

*Received RPB Funding ($30,000)+Received Dean’s Award ($22,000)

Hugo Hsu

*Ruben Sanchez

Received RPB Funding ($30,000)
+Received Dean’s Award ($22,000)*