Xian-Jie Yang Laboratory

DUC A. HOANG(He)

Associate Specialist

Duc studies inherited retinal diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and dominant optic atrophy (DOA), and develops innovative therapies. His research spans gene therapy, AAV and lentiviral vector engineering, CRISPR-based genome editing, and quantitative microscopy. He also oversees the JSEI Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Instrumentation (BMBI) Core and Microscopy and Imaging Analysis (M&I) Core, including equipment training and management to ensure reliable, effective operation.

Neusha Barakati(she/her)

Postdoctoral Scholar

Neusha's research focuses on Dominant Optic Atrophy (DOA), an inherited optic neuropathy, and the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in retinal degeneration. Her work aims to understand how mitochondrial abnormalities affect retinal cell structure, survival, and function, with a particular focus on photoreceptors.

Xiangmei Zhang , MD(She/her)

Staff Research Associate IV

Our research focuses on retinal development and the differentiation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and photoreceptors, with the ultimate goal of establishing retinal disease models and developing curative gene therapies. Alongside my research, I serve as the lab manager, overseeing lab administrative and non-scientific operations to ensure daily efficiency. In this role, I manage mouse colonies, train incoming lab members, and simultaneously carry multiple scientific projects to drive our research goals forward.

Jinghan(Frank) Huang(he/him)

Undergraduate Student

Frank studies how OPA1 mutations disrupt retinal ganglion cell function in dominant optic atrophy. His work focuses on how the membrane properties of these cells shift under the metabolic stress such mutations impose, which connects to his collaborative investigation of potassium channel dysfunction at the Barnes Lab. He is pursuing an MD/PhD with a focus on vision neuroscience and neuro-ophthalmology.

Paria Jahadi(She/her)

Undergraduate

Paria conducts genotyping, cryosectioning, eye-cup dissections, and immunostaining.

Alison Oak(she/her)

Undergraduate

Alison is currently working on a project that studies the functionality of rods in OPA1 knowckout heterozygous and homozygous mice. Alison will also take to studing the morphology of the mitochondria in the OPA1 affected rods. Alison is extremely interested in learning about the structure and functions of the eye and is enthusaiticly contributing to the greater goal of finding solutions for RDS and diseases such as glaucoma. Alison is also very interested in the field of opthamology and finds what the Yang Lab is doing essential in helping cure eye disease.

Adeline Peterson(She/her)

Undergraduate

Adeline is currently using genetic analysis to study how metabolism affects retina neuronal survival and function, particularly in OPA1 mutations. She is interested in learning how gene editing can be used to understand and treat neural disorders.

Uma Ram(she/her)

Undergraduate

Uma is currently working on a project studying Dominant Optic Atrophy (DOA) and retinal degeneration, with a focus on photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Using mouse models, she contributes to research investigating gene therapy approaches aimed at preserving retinal cell function and survival. In addition to research, she helps train new students in lab techniques.

As an undergraduate volunteer, Marie will contribute to research that investigates the relationship between metabolism and the survival and function of retinal neurons. She is particularly interested in retinal disease and degeneration and will participate in genetic analysis using mouse models to explore the processes that impact retinal health.