Iqbal Ahmad, PhD
Professor, UNMC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Associate dean, director, UNMC Office of Postdoctoral Education
Chair, UNMC Scientific Research Oversight Committee
Dr. Ahmad is a professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, who researches regenerative medicine in the retina to understand and advance treatments for blinding diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
He is an associate dean and director of UNMC postdoctoral education and research. He chairs the UNMC Scientific Research Oversight Committee. Dr. Ahmad is a standing member of an NIH study section (PED1).
- BS: Patna University, Patna, India
- MS: Patna University, Patna, India
- PhD: Kent State University, Kent, OH
- Graduate Education: Cell and Molecular Biology, Kent State University, 1990
- Postdoctoral Training: Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, 1994
Dr. Ahmad is a developmental neurobiologist studying stem cell regulation in the developing mammalian retina. He is using the emerging information on retinal stem cell biology toward following aims:
1. Ex-vivo stem cell approach to retinal degeneration: Transplantation of stem cell-derived retinal neurons to treat photoreceptor and retinal ganglion cell (RGCs) degeneration in animal models of RP/AMD and glaucoma.
2. Disease modeling: Generate human disease in a dish model of RP/AMD and glaucoma to understand the disease process in controlled conditions.
3. Therapeutic activation of endogenous retinal stem cells: Repairing the diseased retinal from within by pharmacological activation of dormant stem cells (=Muller glia)