Suraj Bhat Laboratory

Research Focus Areas:

1. Molecular characterization of the developing mouse lens at the single-cell level:

   The ocular lens is characterized by a gradient of refractive index (RI), highest in the center and lowest at the periphery. We are investigating how gene activity connects to the phenotype (RI) by applying spatial transcriptomics to the mouse and the human eye.

2. The molecular constitution of the visual axis:

   The visual axis must remain functional for all life. We have demonstrated spatially driven, enhanced gene activity in nuclear fiber cells of the postnatal mouse lens. We aim to catalog all gene products and their possible contributions to the refractive index of the core/visual axis.

3. Characterization of congenital cataracts at the molecular level:

   We have generated a mouse model of the most prevalent childhood cataract, the lamellar cataract. We plan on assessing gene expression patterns in human genetic/congenital cataracts to confirm the role of gene expression heterogeneity in pathogenesis.

4. Molecular status of the aging human lens epithelium:

   The anterior epithelium holds the metabolic keys for the health of the fiber cells by controlling nutrient circulation. We obtain central lens epithelial samples from cataract surgeries at Stein-UCLA, connecting with our investigations on the developing lens visual axis.

5. Molecular communications in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE):

   The health of photoreceptors depends on the underlying RPE. We find that the biogenesis of exosomes in the RPE depends on the active synthesis of αB-crystallin. We aim to apply spatial transcriptomics to investigate possible breakdown of the blood-retina barrier with age.