Dr. Kuwajima is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He has 19 years of experience in research on neuronal development, injury, and disease, and his lab is currently focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of how RGC protection, optic nerve regeneration, and restoration of visual functions after optic nerve injury can be achieved.
- Columbia University, Postdoctoral research scientist
- Osaka University, Japan, PhD in Biological Science
- Ritsumeikan University, Japan, BS in Organic Chemistry
Education & Training
Immunomodulation by the combination of statin and matrix-bound nanovesicle enhances optic nerve regeneration. Campbell GP, Amin D, Hsieh K, Hussey GS, St Leger AJ, Gross JM, Badylak SF, Kuwajima T. NPJ Regen Med. 2024 Oct 26;9(1):31. doi: 10.1038/s41536-024-00374-y.
A cis-regulatory module underlies retinal ganglion cell genesis and axonogenesis. Mehta K, Daghsni M, Raeisossadati R, Xu Z, Davis E, Naidich A, Wang B, Tao S, Pi S, Chen W, Kostka D, Liu S, Gross JM, Kuwajima T, Aldiri I. Cell Rep. 2024 Jun 25;43(6):114291. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114291. Epub 2024 May 31.
Aldose reductase inhibition decelerates optic nerve degeneration by alleviating retinal microglia activation. Rao M, Huang YK, Liu CC, Meadows C, Cheng HC, Zhou M, Chen YC, Xia X, Goldberg JL, Williams AM, Kuwajima T, Chang KC. Sci Rep. 2023 Apr 5;13(1):5592. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-32702-5.
Differential Retinal Ganglion Cell Vulnerability, A Critical Clue for the Identification of Neuroprotective Genes in Glaucoma. Amin D, Kuwajima T. Front Ophthalmol (Lausanne). 2022 May 31;2:905352. doi: 10.3389/fopht.2022.905352. eCollection 2022.
Serotonin transporter-mediated molecular axis regulates regional retinal ganglion cell vulnerability and axon regeneration after nerve injury. Kingston R, Amin D, Misra S, Gross JM, Kuwajima T. PLoS Genet. 2021 Nov 4;17(11):e1009885. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009885. eCollection 2021 Nov.
The Optic Nerve Regeneration Lab's goal is to prevent retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death, regenerate the optic nerve, and reconnect the eye to the brain after ocular trauma. The mission is to identify effective and safe drugs and molecules to achieve this goal.