PEDRO LAX ZAPATA, PhD
Professor of Physiology
Dpt. Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology
University of Alicante
Email: pedro.lax@ua.es
RESEARCH INTEREST
1. Neuromorphology, physiology and pharmacology of the mammalian retina.
2. Animal models of retinal neurodegenerative diseases: Immunocytochemical, electroretinographic and cell culture studies.
3. Neurodegeneration and neuroprotection.
I started as a researcher in the Chronobiology Group of the University of Murcia, collaborating with Dr. Juan Antonio Madrid in the study of the circadian system of different animal models. Subsequently, I was part of the Membrane Physiology Group of the University of Alicante, directed by Dr. Andrés Morales, and the Biophysics Laboratory at the University of Rome La Sapienza, directed by Prof. Fabrizio Eusebi. In both laboratories, I have worked in the electrophysiological study and characterization of ion channels, among them the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChRs), by using electrophysiological recording techniques and fluorimetry. Nowadays I am head of the Laboratory of Electrophysiology and Electroretinography of the University of Alicante and I participate in different lines of research involved in the study of the visual system, and the development of new therapies for the treatment of degenerative diseases of the retina. These studies have shown the correlation between retinal degeneration and the alteration of circadian rhythms, as well as the neuroprotective effect of different therapeutic agents. I am an expert in electrophysiology, electroretinography, fluorimetry, optomotor test and telemetric recording techniques.
SELECTION OF PUBLICATIONS
1. Ortuño-Lizarán I, Esquiva G, Beach TG, Serrano GE, Adler CH, Lax P, Cuenca N.. Degeneration of human photosensitive retinal ganglion cells may explain sleep and circadian rhythms disorders in Parkinson’s disease. Acta Neuropathologica Communications. 6, pp.1-10. 2018.
2. Fernández-Sánchez L, Esquiva G, Pinilla I, Lax P, Cuenca N. Retinal Vascular Degeneration in the Transgenic P23H Rat Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa. Front Neuroanat. 12, pp.1-14. 2018.
3. Noailles A, Maneu V, Campello L, Lax P, Cuenca N. Systemic inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide aggravates inherited retinal dystrophy. Cell Death & Disease. 9, pp.1-18. 2018.
4. Esquiva G, Lax P, Pérez-Santonja JJ, García-Fernández JM, Cuenca N. Loss of Melanopsin-Expressing Ganglion Cell Subtypes and Dendritic Degeneration in the Aging Human Retina. Front Aging Neurosci. 2017 Apr 4;9:79.
5. Noailles A, Maneu V, Campello L, Gómez-Vicente V, Lax P, Cuenca N. Persistent inflammatory state after photoreceptor loss in an animal model of retinal degeneration. Sci Rep. 2016 Sep 14;6:33356.
6. Lax P, Esquiva G, Fuentes-Broto L, Segura F, Sánchez-Cano A, Cuenca N, Pinilla I. Age-related changes in photosensitive melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells correlate with circadian rhythm impairments in sighted and blind rats. Chronobiol Int. 2016;33(4):374-91.
7. Fernández-Sánchez L, Lax P, Campello L, Pinilla I, Cuenca N. Astrocytes and Müller Cell Alterations During Retinal Degeneration in a Transgenic Rat Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa. Front Cell Neurosci. 2015 Dec 22;9:484.
8. Noailles A, Fernández-Sánchez L, Lax P, Cuenca N. Microglia activation in a model of retinal degeneration and TUDCA neuroprotective effects. J Neuroinflammation. 2014 Oct 29;11:186.
9. Cuenca N, Fernández-Sánchez L, Campello L, Maneu V, De la Villa P, Lax P, Pinilla I. Cellular responses following retinal injuries and therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative diseases. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2014 Nov;43:17-75. doi: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2014.07.001.
10. Lax P, Esquiva G, Altavilla C, Cuenca N. Neuroprotective effects of the cannabinoid agonist HU210 on retinal degeneration. Exp Eye Res. 2014 Mar;120:175-85. doi: 10.1016/j.exer.2014.01.019. Epub 2014 Feb 1. PubMed PMID: 24495949.
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