Dr. Joseph Martel is a distinguished clinician-researcher specializing in vitreoretinal disease and vision restoration therapies. Dr. Martel’s research focuses on understanding and treating retinal degeneration through multiple therapeutic approaches, including gene therapy, optogenetics, artificial retina devices, and developing novel treatment delivery platforms. As both a practicing physician and researcher he is working to uncover the fundamental mechanisms of retinal degeneration while developing innovative therapeutic interventions to preserve and restore vision. Dr. Martel is the principal investigator on several clinical trials.
Dr. Martel was the first surgeon in North America to surgically implant an investigational wireless photovoltaic submacular implant (Pixium PRIMA) in patients with end-stage atrophic macular degeneration. He is co-author of a Nature Medicine publication describing preliminary results in end-stage retinitis pigmentosa patients treated with a novel optogenetics treatment.
- Duke University, Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery
- University of California, San Francisco, Ophthalmology Residency
- University of Nevada, MD
Education & Training
Bilateral Idiopathic Multifocal Pigment Epithelial Detachments: A Case Series and Review of Literature. Khateb S, Ghiam S, Safran J, Martel JN, Alabek M, Nischal KK, Errera MH, Eller AW, Friberg TR, Chowers I, Sahel JA, Banin E, Rosin B. Retina. 2025 May 6. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000004513. Online ahead of print. PMID: 40359333
Recurrent retinal detachment in Stickler Syndrome. Chen TH, Fooladi MI, Alabek M, Scanga HL, Tripi KS, Nischal KK, Martel JN. Eye (Lond). 2025 Jan;39(1):170-174. doi: 10.1038/s41433-024-03402-9. Epub 2024 Oct 18. PMID: 39424914
ADAPTIVE OPTICS AND MULTIMODAL IMAGING FOR INFLAMMATORY VITREORETINAL INTERFACE ABNORMALITIES. Satcho E, Snyder VC, Dansingani KK, Liasis A, Kedia N, Gofas-Salas E, Chhablani J, Martel JN, Sahel JA, Paques M, Rossi EA, Errera MH. Retina. 2024 Sep 1;44(9):1619-1632. doi: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000004144. PMID: 39167583
Challenges in posterior uveitis-tips and tricks for the retina specialist. Paez-Escamilla M, Caplash S, Kalra G, Odden J, Price D, Marroquin OC, Koscumb S, Commiskey P, Indermill C, Finkelstein J, Gushchin AG, Coca A, Friberg TR, Eller AW, Gallagher DS, Harwick JC, Waxman EL, Chhablani J, Bonhomme G, Prensky C, Anetakis AJ, Martel JN, Massicotte E, Ores R, Girmens JF, Pearce TM, Sahel JA, Dansingani K, Westcott M, Errera MH. J Ophthalmic Inflamm Infect. 2023 Aug 17;13(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s12348-023-00342-5. PMID: 37589912
Coagulase-negative staphylococcal endophthalmitis: clinical severity and outcomes based on speciation. Adeghate JO, Yadav S, Kowalski RP, Juhász E, Kristóf K, Olsen KR, Bergren RL, Knickelbein JE, Chhablani J, Martel JN, Anetakis A, Dansingani KK, Rosin B, Gallagher DS, Prensky C, Eller AW, Friberg T, Sahel JA, Errera MH. Can J Ophthalmol. 2024 Aug;59(4):e371-e377. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjo.2023.05.014. Epub 2023 Jun 13. PMID: 37321555
At both the investigational preclinical stages and in human clinical trials, Dr. Martel, along with collaborators, aims to develop and deploy novel vision restoration approaches to patients with blinding retinal conditions.
Dr. Martel's research program encompasses multiple therapeutic approaches to understanding and treating retinal degeneration, including:
- Gene therapy (gene-specific and gene-agnostic approaches)
- Optogenetics
- Artificial retina devices
- Novel treatment delivery platforms