Kaan Taskintuna

Thesis Advisors: Dr. Nady Golestaneh, Dr. Gerard Ahern

Research Interests: Retinal degeneration, energy-sensing pathways, metabolism, mitochondrial homeostasis, stem cells, cell biology

Education:

Carleton College, B.A. Psychology, 2021

About:

In the Golestaneh Lab, Kaan is working on elucidating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Dry AMD is one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly, and there currently is no treatment for it. AMD disease progression originates in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and one of the prominent characteristics of its pathophysiology is metabolic and mitochondrial dysfunction. Using human patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, human RPE cell lines, and transgenic mice to model AMD, Kaan is employing a wide variety of approaches to elucidate how dysregulation in mitochondrial homeostatic mechanisms lead to AMD-like retinal degenerative phenotypes. The lab aims to identify targetable mechanisms for the development of treatments.

Rotations:

Dr. Ian Gallicano

Dr. Gerard Ahern

Dr. Nady Golestaneh

Academic Appointment(s)

Primary
PhD Student, PhD Program in Pharmacology & Physiology
PhD Student, Golestaneh Lab