Sreekumar P Gangadharan, PhD

Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) degeneration plays a key role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Understanding the molecular mechanism of RPE degeneration is essential to identify therapeutic targets to prevent or treat AMD. My research interest is to investigate cellular changes during RPE degeneration, including mitochondrial dysfunction, epithelial mesenchymal transition, autophagy and vesicular trafficking defects in the RPE.

In Ferrington laboratory, we utilize RPE cells differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-RPE) generated from both eyebank donors and AMD patients and work with collaborators who provide complementary expertise in stem cell biology, global protein analysis and metabolomics to investigate the underlying pathophysiology of AMD and to identify putative therapeutic drugs to treat AMD.

Sreekumar PG, Reddy ST, Hinton DR, Kannan R. Mechanisms of RPE senescence and potential role of αB crystallin peptide as a senolytic agent in experimental AMD. Exp Eye Res. 2022 2:108918. 

Sreekumar PG, Ferrington DA, Kannan R. Glutathione Metabolism and the Novel Role of Mitochondrial GSH in Retinal Degeneration. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021;10:661.

Li Z*, Sreekumar PG*, Peddi S, Hinton DR, Kannan R, MacKay JA. The humanin peptide mediates ELP nanoassembly and protects human retinal pigment epithelial cells from oxidative stress. Nanomedicine. 2020; 24:102111. (Featured cover page and Featured Article).

Sreekumar PG, Li Z, Wang W, Spee C, Hinton DR, Kannan R, MacKay JA. Intra-vitreal αB crystallin fused to elastin-like polypeptide provides neuroprotection in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration. J Control Release. 2018; 283:94-104. (Featured as cover page and Editorial Commentary)

Sreekumar PG, Ishikawa K, Spee C, Mehta HH, Wan J, Yen K, Cohen P, Kannan R, Hinton DR. The Mitochondrial-Derived Peptide Humanin Protects RPE Cells From Oxidative Stress, Senescence, and Mitochondrial Dysfunction. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016; 57:1238-53.

Ishikawa K, Sreekumar PG, Spee C, Nazari H, Zhu D, Kannan R, Hinton DR. αB-Crystallin Regulates Subretinal Fibrosis by Modulation of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition. Am J Pathol. 2016;186:859-73.

Sreekumar PG, Kannan R, Kitamura M, Spee C, Barron E, Ryan SJ, Hinton DR. αB crystallin is apically secreted within exosomes by polarized human retinal pigment epithelium and provides neuroprotection to adjacent cells. PLoS One. 2010;5:e12578.

Sonoda S*, Sreekumar PG*, Kase S, Spee C, Ryan SJ, Kannan R, Hinton DR. Attainment of polarity promotes growth factor secretion by retinal pigment epithelial cells: relevance to age-related macular degeneration. Aging (Albany NY). 2009;2:28-42.

Sreekumar PG, Chothe P, Sharma KK, Baid R, Kompella U, Spee C, Kannan N, Manh C, Ryan SJ, Ganapathy V, Kannan R, Hinton DR. Antiapoptotic properties of α-crystallin-derived peptide chaperones and characterization of their uptake transporters in human RPE cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54:2787-98 (Featured as Research Highlight).  

Sreekumar PG, Zhou J, Sohn J, Spee C, Ryan SJ, Maurer BJ, Kannan R, Hinton DR. N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) retinamide augments laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in mice. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49:1210-20.

2017 Basic Science Award, Doheny Eye Institute/University of California
2010 International Society for Eye Research (ISER) Travel Grant
2010 Basic Science Award, Doheny Eye Institute/University of Southern California