Principal Investigator
Kira.Lathrop@pitt.edu
Publications
Research Focus
As Co-Director of the Core Imaging Module, I am privileged to work with most of the basic science researchers in the department. Some of these interactions are directed toward training lab members so they can conduct their own experiments and acquire and analyze their images. In other instances, I become more closely involved in projects that involve more complicated problems requiring the construction of custom analysis protocols and data collection. Working with such a wide variety of investigators allows me to address a wide range of imaging challenges on different scales, with other models, and using various imaging techniques.
With the support of my colleagues and our Chairman, my research has focused on visualizing the palisades of Vogt. In 2012, we demonstrated that this area can be visualized with optical coherence tomography. The palisades of Vogt form the corneal epithelial stem cell niche, a fibrovascular ridge found predominantly in the superior and inferior limbus. Without this region, the eye cannot maintain the epithelium's constant renewal, which can lead to serious conditions like limbal stem cell disease and keratopathy. This research aims to facilitate clinical management and tracking of patients with corneal epithelial stem cell disease and limbal depletion. This work has directly affected the surgical pathways of several pediatric and adult patients and has produced five peer-reviewed papers, several foundation grants, and four patents.
Grants
Lions Clubs of Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania Medical Eye Bank