Welcome to the Lakkaraju Laboratory!

The Lakkaraju lab is a diverse group of multidisciplinary scientists dedicated to developing effective therapies for highly prevalent neurodegenerative diseases. We use the retina as a model to interrogate pathological mechanisms and identify therapeutic targets for diseases that compromise vision and cognition – critical functions that define our humanity and determine how we relate to the world around us.

Using cell-based and mouse models and multidisciplinary approaches ranging from genetics, bioinformatics, and advanced imaging, we have recently identified powerful drugs that prevent vision loss, which are currently in clinical development. Explore the Research and Publications pages or reach out to us if you would like to learn more about what we do!

We value diversity, foster creativity, believe in inclusion, and are passionate about mentoring across the pipeline.

Super-resolution live-cell imaging of interactions between mitochondria (green) and lysosomes (yellow).