Prof. Patricia D’Amore Harvard Medical School, USA

Dr. Patricia A. D’Amore has been at the forefront of angiogenesis research for over three decades. She was a member of collaborative group from Harvard Medical School that identified vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as the elusive “Factor X” that causes pathological blood vessel growth in blinding neovascular eye diseases.... read moreThese investigations helped to form the foundation for the use of anti-VEGF therapies currently used to treat intraocular pathologies such as diabetic macular edema and the wet form of age-related macular degeneration. Dr. D’Amore also developed a widely used mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy, which has served as the cornerstone of many basic scientific investigations of vascular development and preclinical studies of vascular-targeting agents. Dr. D’Amore’s studies have uncovered important physiological roles of vascular growth factors - yielding crucial insight into the safe use of anti-angiogenic therapies. Her current research focuses on investigating the pathogenesis of dry AMD with a focus on inflammation.
Dr. D’Amore received a PhD in biology from Boston University in 1977 followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Ophthalmology and the Department of Physiological Chemistry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She obtained an MBA from Northeastern University In 1987. At Harvard Medical School, Dr. D’Amore is currently the Charles L. Schepens Professor of Ophthalmology, Professor of Pathology, and the Vice Chair of Basic Research. At Schepens Eye Research Institute, she is the Director of Research, Senior Scientist, and Ankeny Scholar of Retinal Molecular Biology. At Mass. Eye and Ear, she is the Director of the Howe Laboratory, Co-Chair of the AMD Center of Excellence, and Associate Chief of Basic and Translational Research. The author of more than 200 publications, Dr. D’Amore is a Gold Fellow in the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and the recipient of numerous awards including the António Champalimaud Award, the highest distinction in vision research, and the 2015 Proctor Medal, one of ARVO’s most prestigious honors.