1. Home
  2. People

Todd E. Scheetz, MS, PhD

Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Introduction

I am a trained bioinformaticist and geneticist. A major focus of my lab is the utilization and analysis of next-generation sequencing technology. We have identified two novel disease-causing genes to date, and are currently pursing validation in several additional families.

I have a broad background in bioinformatics, with specific training and expertise in genetics and genomics. My PhD research focused on the large-scale gene discovery and mapping project in rat. Since then, my research projects have focused on genome-scale analysis of sequences and expression data

Current Positions

  • Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
  • Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
  • Professor of Biomedical Engineering (BME)
  • The Roy J. Carver, Jr. Chair in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Education

  • BS in Electrical Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States
  • MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States
  • PhD in Genetics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States

Graduate Program Affiliations

Center, Program and Institute Affiliations

Research Interests

  • My research objectives include the development and design of systems and algorithms to investigate genotype-phenotype associations. This includes broadening our definitions of genotype to include genome-scale experiments, and the phenotype to include computational systems to algorithmically analyze large (10’s of TB) image-based datasets to discover novel endophenotypes. Examples of these analyses include the computational identification of: (i) drusen phenotypes, (ii) optic nerve morphology, (iii) tissue-specific patterns of gene expression and exon inclusion, (iv) novel modes of mutation in next-generation sequencing data, and (v) regulatory control elements and pathways.

Selected Publications

  • Dumitrescu AV, Tran J, Pfeifer W, Bhattarai SV, Kemerley A, Dunn TV, Wang K, Scheetz TE, Drack AV. (2021). Clinical albinism score, presence of nystagmus and optic nerves defects are correlated with visual outcome in patients with oculocutaneous albinism. Ophthalmic Genet 42(5):539-552. DOI: 10.1080/13816810.2021.1933544. PMID: 34251969.
  • Mulfaul K, Khan AH, Schwarte SG, Voigt AP, Moore RF, Potempa LA, Wang K, Scheetz TE, Stone EM, Tucker BA, Mullins RF. (2024). Elevation of Granulocyte Colony Stimulating Factor in Human AMD Donor RPE-Choroid. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 65(14):15. DOI: 10.1167/iovs.65.14.15. PMID: 39641748. PMCID: PMC11629913.
  • Fingert JH, Tollefson MR, Roos BR, Boese E, Pouw AE, Stone EM, Schnieders M, Scheetz TE. (2024). METTL23 mutations and normal tension glaucoma (NTG) in a United States population. Inves. Ophth. & Vis. Sci. 65(7):4235.
  • Bach B, Martinez T, McCormick MM, Chava S, Roos B, Wu A, Wang K, Scheetz T, Fingert JH, Sohn EH. (2024). High-risk MMP9 genotype is associated with worse long-term change in PED width in treated eyes with neovascular AMC. Inves. Ophth. & Vis. Sci. 65(7):5679.
  • Scheetz TE, Evans FL, Roos BR, Fingert JH. (2024). Functional evaluation of DNA variations associated with exfoliation syndrome in the LOXL1 locus. Inves. Ophth. & Vis. Sci. 65(7):2166.
  • Zebardast N, Sekimitsu S, Aziz K, Zhao Y, Singh R, Fingert JH, Gordon MO, Kass MA, Scheetz TA, Segre A, Brandt JD, Wiggs JL. (2024). Primary open angle glaucoma polygenic risk score can identify individuals at a low risk of disease onset in the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study. Inves. Ophth. & Vis. Sci. 65(7):996.
  • Sohn EH, Zacharias Z, Lee K, Mukhopadhyay C, Coussa R, Han IC, Scheetz TE, Fingert JH, Stone EM, Houtman J, Sonka M. (2024). Inflammatory phenotype associated with high risk MMP9 genotype in neovascular AMD. Inves. Ophth. & Vis. Sci. 65(7):3791.
  • Sekimitsu S, Ghazal N, Aziz K, Zhao Y, Singh RK, Fingert JH, Gordon MO, Kass MA, Scheetz T, Segrè AV, Pasquale LR, Wiggs JL, Brandt JD, Zebardast N. (2024). Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma Polygenic Risk Score and Risk of Disease Onset: A Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Ophthalmol :e244376. ONLINE AHEAD OF PRINT. DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2024.4376. PMID: 39509108. PMCID: PMC11544551.
  • van der Heide C, Goar W, Meyer KJ, Alward WLM, Boese EA, Sears NC, Roos BR, Kwon YH, DeLuca AP, Siggs OM, Gonzaga-Jauregui C, Sheffield VC, Wang K, Stone EM, Mullins RF, Anderson MG, Fan BJ, Ritch R, Craig JE, Wiggs JL, Scheetz TE, Fingert JH. (2021). Exome-based investigation of the genetic basis of human pigmentary glaucoma. BMC Genomics 22(1):477. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07782-0. PMID: 34174832. PMCID: PMC8235805.
  • Voigt AP, Mullin NK, Mulfaul K, Lozano LP, Wiley LA, Flamme-Wiese MJ, Boese EA, Han IC, Scheetz TE, Stone EM, Tucker BA, Mullins RF. (2022). Choroidal endothelial and macrophage gene expression in atrophic and neovascular macular degeneration. Hum Mol Genet 31(14):2406-2423. DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac043. PMID: 35181781. PMCID: PMC9307320.