Levi Todd, PhD

 Regenerating Neurons from Glia

The Todd lab studies retinal glia and their capacity to protect and regenerate neurons. Most blinding diseases result from loss of retinal neurons, a cell type humans lack the ability to regenerate. However, some species such as fish and frogs are able restore lost vision by regenerating neurons from glia. Our lab is attempting to use lessons from regenerative species to reprogram mammalian glia to replace neurons. This involves projects encompassing engineering glia to express developmental transcription factors, cell-signaling manipulation, and neuroimmune modulation. Findings from this work pave the way for future cell-replacement therapies in neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Todd received his PhD from The Ohio State University in 2017 and completed his postdoctoral work at The University of Washington in 2023. His expertise encompasses cellular and molecular neuroscience, neuroimmunology, and genomics. His work has been published in Science Advances, Cell Reports, Development, Journal of Neuroinflammation, and Glia, among others. He is a member of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Society for Neuroscience, and the International Society of Regenerative Biology. Dr. Todd started his lab in October 2023 at the Center for Vision Research where he is funded by a K99/R00 pathway to independence award from the National Eye Institute.