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Andrew Waskiewicz is an Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Science, specializing in Biological Sciences. His research focuses on zebrafish development with the aim of understanding human neural disorders and retinal birth defects, including coloboma. With over 180 million people worldwide suffering from visual impairments and 45 million being blind, his work addresses the genetic causes of such blinding disorders, particularly Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis. Currently, he is generating zebrafish models for these disorders, concentrating on retinoic acid signaling and BMP signaling in the context of coloboma and LCA. Additionally, he investigates brain ventricle morphogenesis, studying the formation of critical neural structures during embryonic development and the role of key signaling pathways. His lab is also working on CRISPR nucleases as an important tool for developing animal models with specific disease-causing mutations, and he is focused on creating zebrafish knockouts and developing techniques for gene replacement.
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management