Seth Blackshaw, PhD

Seth Blackshaw, PhD, is a Professor in the Viterbi Family Department of Ophthalmology at UC San Diego. He recently joined UC San Diego from the Johns Hopkins University Schoolof Medicine, where he was a Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology, and Ophthalmology.

Dr. Blackshaw received his M.S. in Biochemistry at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL and his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. He went on to complete Post Doctoral Fellowships at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in the Department of Neuroscience and at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA in the Department of Genetics.

The Blackshaw lab studies the molecular mechanisms controlling retinal development, neuronal survival, and regeneration. Using single-cell and spatial genomics, genetic approaches, and comparative studies across vertebrate species, his team investigates how retinal neurons, and their axons regenerate efficiently in fish and amphibians but have limited regenerative capacity in mammals.

Dr. Blackshaw’s current research focuses on mechanisms controlling retinal ganglion cell survival and optic nerve regeneration and reprogramming of supporting cells in retina into functional neurons. By identifying the gene regulatory networks and signaling systems that distinguish regeneration-competent from regeneration-incompetent species, his goal is to identify mechanisms that can be targeted to promoteneural repair in the human eye. His long-term goal is to develop new strategies for preserving and restoring vision in glaucoma, optic neuropathies, and other retinal neurodegenerative diseases.