Contact
About Ezequiel Salido
The Salido Lab combines neuroscience and extracellular matrix cell biology to reveal the functional properties of the extracellular matrix around the photoreceptors and their role in vision and pathology.
Positions
Research Assistant Professor
- Organization:
- West Virginia University School of Medicine
- Department:
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine
- Classification:
- Faculty
Research Assistant Professor
- Organization:
- West Virginia University School of Medicine
- Department:
- Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Classification:
- Faculty
Education
- PhD, University of Buenos Aires, School of Medicine, 2013
- MD, University of Buenos Aires, School of Medicine, 2007
Publications
About Ezequiel Salido
EDUCATION
2001-2007 MD. School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2008 - 2013 PhD in Neuroscience (summa cum laude). School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Mentor: Dr Ruth E Rosenstein
POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES
2010 - 2015 Assistant at the Group of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, National Technological University (UTN). Mentor: Eng. Claudio Verrastro. Field: Computational neuroscience.
2015-2016 Postdoctoral Research at Neural Engineering Lab, Center for Neuroscience, West Virginia University (WVU). Mentor: Dr. Sergiy Yakovenko. Field: Brain-machine interface.
2016-2020 Postdoctoral Research at Ramamurthy Lab, Eye institute, West Virginia University (WVU). Mentor: Dr. Visvanathan Ramamurthy. Field: Retina cell biology – Extracellular matrix.
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2020-present Research Assistant Professor, Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, and Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown.
Research Interests
Cells in our body continually interact with the surrounding environment to obtain nutrients and communicate with their neighbors.
The cells and the extracellular space constitute the environment that determines the tissue function, cell differentiation, and healthiness of the cell. Interestingly, cells shape their extracellular matrix by actively synthesizing and secreting molecules into the extracellular space.
In the retina, the neuronal photoreceptors cells and the glial retina pigment epithelium (RPE) cells interact through a specialized extracellular matrix called Interphotoreceptor Matrix (IPM). Patients with mutations in molecules of the IPM develop blinding diseases.
Areas of Interest:
Genesis and dynamics of the matrix
The interphotoreceptor matrix is compounded by a mesh of molecules in constant synthesis and degradation. These molecules are required to integrate into the matrix by interacting with other molecules. In addition, the interaction between the matrix and cell membrane proteins allows the cell to sense the matrix environment.
Which are those molecules, how do they interact, and why they are important for the health of the glia and photoreceptors are the questions we try to address in our lab.
Extracellular matrix changes in mutant mice.
Immunohistochemistry analysis of photoreceptor extracellular matrix.
Link to paper.
IPM fluid dynamics
The interphotoreceptor matrix provides the media where nutrients, ions, and molecules traffic from cell to cell. Surprisingly we know very little about the size of the matrix and the flow of molecules and ions through the matrix. What is the true size and shape of the matrix? How do molecules and ions move along the matrix? Can we model the flow of nutrients through the matrix and predict disease mechanisms?
Cone photoreceptor extracellular matrix.
Retina and RPE metabolic changes in mice with affected interphotoreceptor matrix.
Electron microscopy shows extracellular matrix changes in mutant mice.
Differential equations model the response of photoreceptor to light
Link to paper.
Can we improve vision in patients with affected extracellular matrix proteins?
Patients with mutations in the interphotoreceptor matrix proteoglycans IMPG1 and IMPG2 develop retinitis pigmentosa or macular dystrophy vision diseases. We are developing adenovirus-based gene therapy to rescue rapid RP progression in children.
Gene therapy workflow.
Besides helping to cure blinding diseases, we broadly enrich diverse scientific fields such as aging, neurodegeneration, biomaterials, brain-machine interface, 3D tissue culture, and computational neuroscience.