• DEPARTMENT:

        Ophthalmology

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• NAME/TRAINING:

Iqbal Ahmad, Ph.D.

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        1990-Ph.D. Kent State University

1990-1993-Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Yale Univ. School of Medicine

1992-1994-Instructor, Dept. of Neurobiology, Yale Univ. School of Medicine

1994- Associate Research Scientist, Yale Univ. School of Medicine

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• CONTACT INFORMATION:

Iqbal Ahmad, Ph.D.
Professor
Ophthalmology and Pharmacology
Assistant Dean & Director
Postdoctoral Education
4044 DRC
985840 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5840
Phone Number:    402-559-4091
Fax Number:        402-559-5514
e-mail address:     iahmad@unmc.edu
http://www.unmc.edu/ophthalmology/Ahmad/                         

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NIH R01 (Co-Investigator)
Foundation Fighting Blindness (P.I.)
Nebraska Research Initiative (P.I.)
Dean's Indirect Cost Grant (P.I.)

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• PUBLICATIONS (last 3-5 years):

Zhao, X., Das, A., Thoreson, W.B., Rodriguez-Sierra, J. F. and Ahmad, I. (2002). Adult corneal limbal epithelium; a model for studying neural potential of non-neural stem cells. Dev. Biol. 250:317-333

Zhao, X., Liu and Ahmad I. (2002). Differentiation of embryonic stem cells in retinal neurons Biochem. Biophys. Res. 297:177-184.

Dooley, C.M. Jackson, J., McGlade, J.C. and Ahmad, I. (2003). Involvement of Numb in vertebrate retinal development: Evidence for multiple roles of numb in neural differentiation and maturation J. Neurobiol. 54:313-325.

Bhattacharya, S., Jackson, J.D., Kuszynski, C., Joshi, S. and Ahmad, I. (2003). Prospective identification and enrichment of neural progenitors from the mammalian retina. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci 44:2764-2773.

Chacko, D.M., Das, A., Zhao, X., Jackson, J.D, Bhattacharya, S. and Ahmad I (2003). Transplantation of ocular stem cells: the role of injury in incorporation and differentiation of grafted cells in retina. Vision Research 43: 937-946.

James, J., Das, A.V., Bhattacharya, S., Chacko, D.M., Zhao, X. and Ahmad, I. (2003).  In vitro generation of early born neurons from late retinal progenitors.  J. Neurosci. 23(23): 8193-8203.

Ahmad, I., Das, A. V., James, J., Bhattacharya, S. and Zhao, X. (2004). Neural stem cells: types and regulation. Sem. Cell. Dev. Biol. 15: 53-62.

Das, A.V., James, J., Zhao, X., Rahnfuhrer, J. and Ahmad, I. (2004). Identification of c-Kit receptor as a regulator of adult neural stem cells in the mammalian eye: interaction with notch signaling. Dev. Biol. 273:87-105.

Bhattacharya S., Dooley, C., Soto Leon, F., Madson, J. and Ahmad, I. (2004). Involvement of Ath3 in CNTF-mediated differentiation of late retinal progenitors. Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 27: 32-43.

James, J., Das, A.V.,Rahnenfuhrer, J. and Ahmad, I. (2004). Cellular and molecular characterization of early and late retinal stem cells/progenitors: differential regulation of proliferation and context dependent role of Notch signaling. J. Neurobiol. 61:359-376.

Zhao, X., Das, A.V., Soto Leon, F. and Ahmad, I. (2005). Growth factor-responsive neural progenitors in post-natal mammalian retina. Dev. Dyn. 232:349-358.

Das, A.V., James, J., Rahnfuhrer, J., Thoreson, W.B., Bhattacharya, S., Zhao, X. and Ahmad, I. (2005). Retinal properties and potential of the adult mammalian ciliary epithelium stem cells. Vis. Res. 45:1656-1666.

Das, A., Zhao, X., and Ahmad, I. (2005). Stem cell therapy for retinal degeneration: retinal neurons from heterologous sources. Sem. Ophthalmol. 20:3-10.

Das, A. and Ahmad, I. (2005). Retinal Stem Cells. In Stem Cells and CNS Development (Mahendra Rao edited), 2nd Edition, Humana Press.

Zhao, X., Liu, J. and Ahmad, I. (2005) Differentiation of embryonic stem cells to retinal cells in vitro. In Turksen, K. (ed.), Embryonic Stem Cells-II: Methods and Protocols. Humana Press.

Das, A., Zhao, X., James, J., Kim, M. Cowan, K.H. and Ahmad, I. (2006). Neural stem cells in adult ciliary epithelium express GFAP and are regulated by Wnt signaling. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 339:708-716.

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• PREVIOUS GRADUATE STUDENTS/POST-DOCTORAL FELLOWS (present location):

Dr. Jim Rogers (UNO), Dr. Harsha Acharya (Univ. Bellevue), Dr. Connie Dooley (Univ. Utah Med. Center), Dr. Jackson James (Rajiv Gandhi Inst. Biotechnology, India), Dr. Sreekumar Eddakot (Kerala Univ., India), Dr. Dhamika Meghna Achari (Biotech. Inst. Sri Lanka), Drs. Xing Zhao (Boystown Research lab.), Frank Soto (Creighton Medical School), Dr. Ani Das (UNMC), Dr. Sumitra Bhattacharya (UNMC), Dr. Ganapati Hegde (UNMC).

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• CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS:

There are two main objectives of research in our lab. First, to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying cell differentiation in the vertebrate CNS and second, to utilize information arising from these studies to understand the process of neurodegenerations and devise approaches to treat neurodegenerative diseases.

Generation of neuronal diversity: The acquisition of neuronal diversity is central to the development,organization and function of the CNS. We are interested in understanding how cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic factors regulate the progressive changes in neural stem cells/progenitors to acquire particular neuronal or glial fates. We are addressing this question in the vertebrate retina, which is an excellent model of the CNS because of its accessibility at different developmental stages and stereotypical cellular organization consisting of a limited number of cell types. We are using two mutually dependent approaches. First we are identifying factors that regulate temporal and spatial aspects of differentiation in the retina and second we are isolating and characterizing neural stem cells from embryonic and adult ocular tissues to analyze the interplay between cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic factors in controlled conditions. Towards the first approach we are studying the role of bHLH transcription factors encoded by proneural genes (Ngn, Mash1, NeuroD and Ath3)and components of the intercellular signaling pathway encoded by neurogenic genes (Notch1, Delta1 and E(spl)-c) in the specification of retinal neurons. Towards the second approach our lab has characterized neural stem cells/progenitors from embryonic and adult ocular tissue and we are analyzing factors that regulate their maintenance and differentiation.

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Understanding and treating neurodegenerative changes: The death of specific neuronal populations is the cause of cognitive, motor and behavioral impairment associated with disorders such as Parkinson's,Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases. Neuronal degeneration is also the cause of visual impairment associated with two of the most prevalent of the sight robbing diseases, retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. Therapeutic usage of neural stem cells provides a basis for restoring neurological functions and vision by repopulating the damaged brain area and/or by rescuing neurons from further degeneration. In addition, understanding the molecular and cellular biology of neural stem cells and their differentiation will provide clues to developmental mechanisms. Recapitulation of these developmental mechanisms is likely to offer additional therapeutic approaches. Besides using neural stem cells as therapeutic reagents we are analyzing growth factors and inhibitors of apoptosis to arrest or slow down photoreceptor degeneration in animal models of retinitis pigmentosa.

please refer to the following web site.

www.unmc.edu/ophthalmology/Ahmad/

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