Barbara R
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at UFRJ
Expertise
Neuroscience of vision, regeneration of the nervous system, neurobiology, eye diseases
Bio
I am a scientist with 10 years of expertise in neuroscience, with an emphasis in ophthalmology and the study of strategies to protect from vision loss. I am currently working in BioPharma, focused on developing and testing novel, life-changing medicines for people whose health and lives have been disrupted by disease. My goal is to use my academic background to inflict more direct and positive impact in people's lives. I am originally from Brazil and have a passion for traveling and experiencing new cultures. Being a researcher has allowed me to travel to several cities for conferences as well as relocating to the USA to learn and research in top Universities such as Harvard and Stanford University.Project ideas
The eye as a extension of the Brain
As we know the eye is part of the central nervous system (CNS), with extracranial location. As such, the retina and optic nerve have been extensively used as a simplified model to better understand and study the brain. With the existence of excellent noninvasive instruments to investigate structural and functional retinal changes overtime, the visual system is optimal to track neurodegeneration, to test strategies to induce regeneration and for the identification of early biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease. You could explore the existing resources and newer technologies that can be used in the future to treat ocular diseases or neurodegenerative diseases that lead to vision loss. It can result in a research proposal, a podcast, a review article and more!