THE FERREIRA LABORATORY

 

Duke University Medical Center

 

Welcome to the Paulo Ferreira laboratory at Duke University Medical Center, Duke University. Our research focus is twofold. First, we seek to understand the integration of signaling and intracellular trafficking pathways and proteostasis in health and disease. Second, we aim at harnessing such information to uncover targets and mechanisms amenable to therapeutic intervention, such as neuroprotection, in a variety of diseases. The long-term efforts of our laboratory are centered in understanding the interplay between genes, proteins, metabolites and impairments of any of these upon aging or disease states in the function and survival of neurons and supporting cells.

    Currently,  we are investigating with  genetic, molecular and cellular approaches how impairments in signaling and intracellular trafficking pathways promote  neurodegeneration

with a focus on systemic and non-syndromic retinal dystrophies ultimately leading to vision loss, such retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), renal-retinal syndromes, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, motor neuron (ALS) and Parkinson's diseases. We are exploring also the roles of environmental stressors (e.g. oxidative stress) in disease onset, progression and expression. The findings of these and other studies are also uncovering novel players and biological processes mediating signaling and intracellular trafficking pathways that are pivotal to neuronal function and survival.

       Thank you for visiting our website and learning about our research. For additional questions, feel free to contact Dr. Paulo A. Ferreira by email: paulo.ferreira@duke.edu

Duke University Medical Center, 2351 Erwin Road, DUEC 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA