Levi Todd

Retinal glia regulate development of the circadian photoentrainment circuit Circadian photoentrainment depends on intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which convey environmental light information to th…

Our latest paper is out! While the circadian photoentrainment circuit has been extensively studied, the mechanisms regulating its development remain poorly understood. Here we show that retinal Müller glia play a key role in this process. Check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Wow - really looking forward to this. Congrats!

That merely being “under review” by a Nature family journal is offered as a quality proxy for a paper is a tragic illustration of the extent to which academia is addicted to brands and outsources evaluation

Turquoise killifish naturally develop hallmarks of age-related macular degeneration with advancing age https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.23.683644v1

It's #FluorescenceFriday!

Excited to share my PhD work! We characterize waves of cell death during human retinal development, and show how blocking apoptosis promotes RGC long-term survival and alters their developmental dynamics in organoids. These findings will improve future organoid design for retinal disease modeling‼️

Novel Roles of Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Retinal Patterning and Neurogenesis During Mammalian Eye Development The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway is essential for the patterning, growth, and morphogenesis of many tissues. During early eye development, Shh is critical for the formation of the two optic ...

🎉 New preprints from the lab! (1) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

New preprints from the lab!! (2)

Preventing Blindness by Untangling the Genetic Network of Vision Neurons Dr. Joel Miesfeld’s lab studies the mechanisms behind retinal ganglion cells to better understand vision development.

A big thanks to the NEI for supporting my new R01 and MCW for highlighting the research focus. We’ve already made some interesting discoveries and I’m excited to see how the research progresses for years to come. www.mcw.edu/mcwknowledge...

Congrats thats big!

Comparative single-cell multiomic analysis reveals evolutionarily conserved and species-specific cellular mechanisms mediating natural retinal aging. Biological age is a major risk factor in the development of common degenerative retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. To systematically characterize molecular mechani...

Our latest manuscript is out, and this one tackles the problem of cellular aging in the retina, using comparative multiomic analysis of zebrafish, mouse, and humans. What led us to work on aging after studying development and regeneration? Explainer follows./1
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Polysialic acid is a versatile marker for retinal Müller glia in common vertebrate model organisms and systems Müller glia are retinal support cells that play crucial roles in tissue structure, waste management, and repair. A challenge for the field has been to find Müller glia markers that detect non-reactive...

Preprint! We localized polySia in the retina of 8 vertebrates, 2 cephalopods, human, and organoids. We determined that polySia is a useful surrogate marker for Müller glia, and that polySia distribution in fish Müller glia differs from all other vertebrates. 👀🧪

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

A pika sits on a mossy rock.

Tighter crop of the same pika, focusing on its head.

An even tighter crop, focusing more on the pika's eye.

An extremely tight crop of the pika's eye, emphasizing their reflection of an early morning mountain scene.

"Pat, why do you carry that ridiculous 600mm lens on long hikes?"

Buddy, I can see mountains reflected in the eyes of a trailside pika.

Single-Cell Characterization of Anterior Segment Development: Cell Types, Pathways, and Signals Driving Formation of the Trabecular Meshwork and Schlemm's Canal Morphogenesis of the anterior segment (AS) is crucial for healthy ocular physiology and vision but is only partially understood. The Schlemm's canal (SC) and trabecular meshwork (TM) are essential dra...

Excited to share this study! We created a developmental atlas of the anterior segment of the eye and provide crucial molecular information that guides the development of Schlemm’s canal and trabecular meshwork cell subtypes. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Congrats Brian! Impressive stuff.

Our work on the TET enzymes in retinal development is out. We identified that rod fate is inhibited when DNA demethylation is prevented by removal of the TET enzymes. Interestingly, photoreceptor numbers are normal. We utilized WGBS and bACE-seq to profile the precise localization of 5mC and 5hmC,…

Differential regulation of eye specification in Drosophila by Polycomb Group epigenetic repressors Highlighted Article: Distinct gene sets are differentially expressed in response to the knockdown of Polycomb Group (PcG) members, suggesting that multiple avenues may exist for the eye to be transfor...

My lab's newest research paper on the Drosophila eye is published in Development today. Thanks to the editorial staff for writing a research highlight and interviewing us about our work.

journals.biologists.com/dev/article-...

Paper alert! With co-first authors Nick Tolman and @taiboli.bsky.social , we profile trabecular meshwork cells using single-cell RNA + ATAC seq, identify mitochondrial dysfunction in an early-onset glaucoma model, and use Vitamin B3 to protect against nerve damage.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...

Hi all, we got a grant for a cool project that will follow up of our paper published a few months ago (see below). We will explore how light acts as a morphogen to instruct PCP. If you are looking for a postdoc position and interested in this topic, please reach out!

Congrats Kristen, well deserved!

Congrats Revathi! Great news

We recently wrote a review about neuroimmune interactions in retinal repair. We dive into the literature regarding immune influences in Muller glia reprogramming, cell transplantation, and axon regeneration. Hopefully its useful, free link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1k-FL4pAsj...

We recently wrote a review about neuroimmune interactions in retinal repair. We dive into the literature regarding immune influences in Muller glia reprogramming, cell transplantation, and axon regeneration. Hopefully its useful, free link: authors.elsevier.com/a/1k-FL4pAsj...

Excluding the Genomic Location of Pax2 Regulatory Elements for the Developing Mouse Eye - PubMed The Pax2 transcription factor is activated uniformly in the optic vesicle/cup, but becomes progressively restricted to the forming optic disc and stalk. In the eye, it is not known how Pax2 expression...

So you want to study the optic nerve head. You’re thinking a Pax2-Cre driver should work, right? Well, think again: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40300047/

The final version of our eLife manuscript on viral Oct4-mediated neurogenic reprogramming of retinal Muller glia is now out, with all reviewer comments addressed.
elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...

Excited to share our latest (and first from the lab) preprint where we investigated the molecular mechanisms that drive Nestin-expression progenitor differentiation in the developing cerebellum. 🧠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Our latest manuscript on glia-to-neuron conversion in retina is out in @elife.bsky.social. We show that AAV-mediated overexpression of Oct4 induces glia-to-bipolar cell conversion in wildtype retina, and that this is greatly enhanced by loss of function of Rbpj.

elifesciences.org/reviewed-pre...

Nice, Congrats Brian!

Check out this tour de force work from @christ3na.bsky.social in my lab!

Her studies reveal how developmental timing in the retina is controlled like an hourglass. The progenitor:neuron ratio shifts to control signaling levels and trigger photoreceptor development over time. Check it out!!