Located in the Department of Ophthalmology, the Wert laboratory studies the post-mitotic neuronal cells of the retina, particularly the photoreceptor cells. Our goal is to discover and understand the mechanisms underlying retinal degenerative disease, and to provide novel therapeutics for these complex degenerative disorders using gene therapy and genome engineering technologies, human stem cell transplantations, and metabolic rescue.

We aim to characterize the ways in which reward systems vary from individual to individual and understand how this variation determines propensity for depression and addiction-like behavior.

The lab investigates the nature and treatment of cognitive deficits commonly seen in schizophrenia and related disorders.

Kitamura Lab's research aims to provide a biophysically-based mechanistic understanding of the neural process for learning and memory in the mouse brain.