Dr. Joanne Matsubara PhD
(She, Her, Hers)
Professor
Advisory Committee Member
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Faculty of Medicine
Dr. Matsubara completed her Ph.D. at the University of California at San Diego. She is a neuroscientist with expertise in the visual system, retina and eye diseases. Specifically, Dr. Matsubara studies neurodegenerative diseases of the eye and brain towards the development of novel treatment strategies and non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis of brain and eye disorders. Recently, Dr. Matsubara is actively working on:
- Cellular and molecular changes in the outer blood-eye barrier that promote age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Role of Granzyme B in the development of AMD
- Gene therapies for glaucoma and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR)
- Amyloid beta deposits and glial cell populations in the Alzheimer's retina
If Dr. Matsubara could collaborate with other researchers in another field, they would be specialists in cutting-edge microscopy, use of machine learning and AI to "massage" new information from fluorescence confocal images. She is excited to work with academics and industry to further understand the cellular and molecular underpinnings of eye and brain disease, and to develop new treatment strategies to suppress their development and/or progression.
Dr. Matsubara's favourite travel spot is Kenya for it is a place for viewing the magnificent wildlife!
