Dept. of Ophthalmology;
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;
Neuroscience; Molecular and Human Genetics
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX

Dr. Chen’s Research Project
Mechanisms and consequences of photoreceptor degeneration

Current Research Interests
Dr. Chen works on heterotrimeric G-protein signal transduction in retinal neurons including rod and cone photoreceptors, bipolar cells, amacrine cells and retinal ganglion cells. By making and characterizing mouse models of human congenital stationary night blindness and photoreceptor degeneration, he also studies the mechanisms and functions of rhythmic membrane potential oscillation of inner retinal neurons in the development and maintenance of the entire visual system.

Dr. Chen has authored 69 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals as well as seven book chapters. He is a widely recognized molecular geneticist and provides a rod-specific and an ON-bipolar cell-specific inducible Cre driver lines to the worldwide vision community.