Kristin J. Al-Ghoul, PhD, is an associate professor emeritus in the Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology. Over the last 16 years, the lab has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Midwest Eye Banks, the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness and by several intramural grants from Rush Translational Science Consortium.
The functions of the ocular lens, namely maintenance of transparency and variable focusing, depend on the lens’ complex cellular and molecular organization. In general, our laboratory studies the ultrastructure and cell biology of lens fiber cells during normal development and growth and in cataract models. Specific areas of current investigation include:
Al-Ghoul KJ, Khoury KP, Sadek O. (2016, submitted) “The Role of IL-1α and IL-4 in the Initiation of Diabetic Cataracts.” The Open Ophthalmology Journal.
Joy A, Al-Ghoul KJ. (2014) “Basal Membrane Complex Architecture Is Disrupted During Posterior Subcapsular Cataract Formation In Royal College of Surgeons Rats.” Molecular Vision. 20:1777-1795.
Al-Ghoul KJ, Donohue ST. (2014) “Structural Evidence of Receptor Mediated Endocytosis at Posterior Lens Sutures.” International Journal of Latest Research in Science and Technology. 3(6): 68-73.
Al-Ghoul, KJ, Lindquist, TP, Kirk, SS and Donohue, ST. (2010) “A Novel Terminal Web-Like Structure in Cortical Lens Fibers: Architecture and Functional Assessment.” The Anatomical Record. 293(11): 1704-1715.
Joy A, Mohammed TA, Al-Ghoul KJ. (2010) “Abnormal Fiber End Migration In Royal College Of Surgeons Rats During Posterior Subcapsular Cataract Formation.” Mol Vis. 2010; 16:1453-1466.
Joy A, Currie MS, Donohue ST, Al-Ghoul KJ. (2009) “Aberrant Basal Fiber End Migration Underlies Structural Malformations In A Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rat Model.” Exp Eye Res. 89(3):344-57.
A complete listing of Al-Ghoul’s research can be found on PubMed.
Kristin J. Al-Ghoul, PhD
Associate Professor Emeritus
Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology