About
Dr Anna Wang
Research Fellow, Visual Neuroscience Research
Dr Anna Wang is a Visual Neuroscientist investigating unidentified cells in the eye and CERA’s first Equity Fellow for Excellence in Vision Research.
Dr Anna Wang
Research Fellow, Visual Neuroscience Research
BSc(Adv)(Hons), PhD
Dr Anna Wang is a Visual Neuroscientist investigating unidentified cells in the eye and CERA’s first Equity Fellow for Excellence in Vision Research.
She joined CERA from the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked in the lab of Assistant Professor Teresa Puthessery, leading projects investigating retinal ganglion cells which carry visual information from the eye to the brain.
In 2023, Dr Wang was first author of research published in the prestigious journal Nature, that for the first time demonstrated a specific type of retinal ganglion cell was present in primates, including humans.
She is now using the same technique to learn more about retinal ganglion cells.
Key research questions
- Can we identify new types of retinal ganglion cells in the human eye?
- Can we find new ways to diagnose and treat glaucoma by looking at retinal ganglion cells in the eye?
- Can we test new treatments on living cells before a clinical trial?
Current projects
Key publications
Key collaborators
Funding and support
Current projects
The role of pericytes in retinal ganglion cell dysfunction and vision loss in glaucoma
This project investigates the hypothesis that inadequate blood supply can cause RGC degeneration. We recently reported that pericytes, the contractile cells around vessels that control capillary diameter and blood flow, are impaired in glaucoma. Evidence also shows some types of RGCs are more susceptible to glaucoma than others.
We hypothesise that pericyte dysfunction impacts susceptible RGC types as they may require more vascular supply than other neurons. Consequently, they will degenerate first if blood flow is disrupted. Therefore, in this project, I will investigate whether pericyte dysfunction causes RGC dysfunction during glaucoma.
Key publications
Wang, A.Y.M., Kulkarni, M.M., McLaughlin, A.J. et al. An ON-type direction-selective ganglion cell in primate retina. Nature 623, 381–386 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06659-4
Wang, A.Y.M., Wong, V.H.Y., Lee, P.Y. et al. Retinal ganglion cell dysfunction in mice following acute intraocular pressure is exacerbated by P2X7 receptor knockout. Sci Rep 11, 4184 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-83669-0
Wang, A. Y., Lee, P. Y., Bui, B. V., Jobling, A. I., Greferath, U., Brandli, A., … Vessey, K. A. (2020). Potential mechanisms of retinal ganglion cell type‐specific vulnerability in glaucoma. Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 103(5), 562–571. https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.13031
Key collaborators
Funding and support
Thank you to the following organisations for their support:
- Australian Vision Research (AVR)
- Jack Brockhoff Foundation and Peter Griffin and Terry Swann
- DHB foundation
Contact Dr Anna Wang
Email: anna.wang@unimelb.edu.au
Leave a direct enquiry for CERA below!
Please note: Unfortunately we are not able to provide individual medical advice over email.