Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog) retina labelled with wheat germ agglutinin (magenta; rod and cone outer segments), calbindin (green; cone inner segments and bipolar cells), vimentin (orange; Muller glia and cytoskeleton components), and Hoechst 33342 (blue; nuclei).

Dr. Brittany J. Carr

I am a vision scientist who specializes in the cellular and molecular biology of the retina, with the goal to develop targeted therapies for visual impairment and blindness.

My research interests are:

Inherited retinal degeneration and age-related macular degeneration. Metabolism of retinal waste products. Identification of early disease biomarkers.
Photoreceptor outer segment morphogenesis. How are photoreceptor outer segments built and assembled? What role does this process play in inherited retinal degenerative disease?
The retinal circuitry involved in emmetropization and myopia (near-sightedness) and drug development for therapeutic inhibition of myopia.

My primary research techniques are:

Genetic modification (CRISPR-Cas9 & transgenesis)
Imaging (light microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, color fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography)
Molecular biology (PCR, Western blots, etc.).

I am currently an assistant professor at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.

To contact me about my research:

Email: bcarr1 @ ualberta.ca