Positions

Professor - Clifton R. McMichael Endowed Chair

Ophthalmology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas United States

Professor

Neuroscience
Baylor College of Medicine
Housotn, Texas United States

Co-Director

Medical Scientist Training Program
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

Addresses

Jamail Specialty Care Center - Alkek Eye Center (Clinic)

1977 Butler Blvd.
3rd Floor
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-6100
https://www.bcm.edu/healthcare/care-centers/eye/

Lab: Neurosensory Building (Lab)

NC - 306
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Education

MD from Baylor College Of Medicine

05/2005 - Houston, TX United States

PhD from Baylor College Of Medicine

12/2003 - Houston, TX United States

Fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine

07/2010 - Houston, Texas United States

Glaucoma

Residency at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

06/2009 - Baltimore, Maryland United States

Ophthalmology

BA from Duke University

05/1996 - Durham, North Carolina United States

Certifications

American Board of Ophthalmology

Professional Interests

• Translational research
• Basic research
• Medical and surgical management of adult glaucoma

Professional Statement

I am a clinician scientist ophthalmologist with advanced training in genetics, neuroscience, and glaucoma patient care. I am committed to improving our understanding of glaucoma, a potentially blinding neurodegenerative disease of the optic nerve and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which will hopefully lead to the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics. Accordingly, my primary basic research objectives are to understand the earliest events that occur in mice with experimental glaucoma (elevated intraocular pressure, or IOP) and to elucidate the mechanisms that govern RGC injury, resistance, and recovery. My lab assesses RGCs and interacting cell types with a variety of techniques such as electrophysiology, visual behavior testing, single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), and RGC isolation and culture. Current projects in my laboratory include:

1. Mechanisms of neurovascular unit dysfunction in early stage experimental glaucoma. We have discovered that retinal capillary plexi and a variety of neuronal cell types are differentially susceptible to IOP elevation. This projects aims to understand the mechanisms that underlie these relationships and how they may be altered to modify disease outcomes.

2. Mechanisms of RGC survival and neurite recovery in cell culture. Using a novel immunopanning + FACS based system, we can now isolate RGCs with exceptional fidelity. When these RGCs are cultured, we observe a wide range of survival and neurite extension phenotypes. This project aims to understand the intrinsic mechanisms that govern these RGC responses.

3. Gene expression changes in early stage experimental glaucoma. After exposure to mildly elevated IOP for a variety of durations we isolate RGCs using the same technique described above and perform scRNA-seq. By studying early stage disease, this project aims to identify RGC and RGC subtype specific targets that modulate disease onset and severity.

4. Mechanisms of neuroprotection in glaucoma. We are currently exploring neuroprotection in glaucoma in two ways. First, since some clinical evidence suggests that increased serotonin signaling is neuroprotective against glaucoma, we are assessing the virtually unstudied role of serotonin signaling in mouse retina, RGCs, and experimental glaucoma. Second, we are studying the molecular mechanism of brimonidine, a common IOP-lowering eye drop with known neuroprotective effects.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Frankfort BJ, Nolo R, Zhang Z, Bellen H, Mardon G. "Senseless repression of rough is required for R8 photoreceptor differentiation in the developing Drosophila eye.." Neuron. 2001 Nov 8;32(3):403-14. Pubmed PMID: 11709152
• Frankfort BJ, Mardon G. "Senseless represses nuclear transduction of Egfr pathway activation.." Development. 2014 Feb;131(3):563-70. Pubmed PMID: 14711872
• Pang JJ, Frankfort BJ, Gross RL, Wu SM. "Elevated intraocular pressure decreases response sensitivity of inner retinal neurons in experimental glaucoma mice.." Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Feb 24;112(8):2593-8. Pubmed PMID: 25675503
• van der Heijden, M.E., Shah, P., Cowan, C.S., Yang, Z., Wu, S.M., & Frankfort, B.J. "Effects of Chronic and Acute Intraocular Pressure Elevation on Scotopic and Photopic Contrast Sensitivity in Mice." Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016 Jun 1;57(7):3077-87. Pubmed PMID: 27286365

Memberships

American Glaucoma Society

Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology

American Academy of Ophthalmology

Funding

Brain and eye-pressure induced optic nerve and retinal degeneration - #R01 EY025601

(08/01/2015 - 07/31/2024) Grant funding from National Eye Institute

Early Detection and Treatment of Glaucoma

(05/01/2015 - 12/31/2022) Grant funding from Clayton Foundation for Research

An in vivo/in vitro system for targeted retinal ganglion cell subtype manipulation - #R21 EY033458

(02/01/2022 - 01/31/2024) Grant funding from National Eye Institute