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Lucy Evans


lucy-evans@uiowa.edu
Mentor: Alexander Bassuk, M.D./Ph.D.
Lab Room: 2160 ML
Lab Phone: 319-384-4648

Exploring Ocular Trauma and Inflammation after Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice

Inflammation in brain tissue after traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been seen in both human and mouse models, however there is still a great deal of information that is yet to be understood. Our lab is currently utilizing the retina as an extension of the central nervous system, hoping to establish ocular damage as a less-invasive approach to gauge TBI severity and response to treatment. As TBI is a very heterogenous disease, we are studying two different TBI models simultaneously, a fluid percussion injury model and a blast injury model. We aim to further tease out mechanisms of damage and repair and to assess the possibility of finding a common pathway that can be targeted therapeutically. As vitreous samples are easily obtained, molecular changes within the eye could be utilized as biomarkers of TBI in human patients, helping to aid in both diagnosis and treatment management.

Evans LP, Newell EA, Mahajan M, Tsang SH, Ferguson PJ, Mahoney J, Hue CD, Vogel EW III, Morrison B III, A Ottavio, Nichols R, Bassuk AG, and Mahajan VB. Acute vitreoretinal trauma and inflammation after traumatic brain injury in mice. Annals Clin Translational Neurology, in press 2018. Harper MM, Rudd D, Meyer KJ, Kanthasamy AG, Anantharam V, Pieper AA, Våzquez-Rosa E, Shin MK, Chaubey K, Koh Y, Evans LP, Bassuk AG, Anderson MG, Dutca L, Kudva IT, John M. Identification of chronic brain protein changes and protein targets of serum auto-antibodies after blast-mediated traumatic brain injury. Heliyon. 2020 Feb;6(2):e03374. Wert KJ, Velez G, Kanchustambham VL, Shankar Evans LP, Sengillo JD, Zare RN, Bassuk AG, Tsang SH, Mahajan VB. Metabolite therapy guided by liquid biopsy proteomics delays retinal neurodegeneration. EBioMedicine. 2020 Feb. 52:102636. Newell EA, Todd BP, Luo Evans LP, Ferguson PJ, Bassuk AG. A mouse model for juvenile, lateral fluid percussion brain injury reveals age and sex-dependent differences in neuroinflammation and functional recovery. J Neurotrauma, 2020 Feb. 37(4):635-646. Harper MM, Woll W, Evans LP, Delcau M, Akurathi A, Hederg-Buenz A, Soukup D, Boehme N, Hefti M, Dutca L, Anderson MG, Bassuk AG. Blast preconditioning protects retinal ganglion cells and reveals targets for prevention of neurodegeneration following blast-mediated traumatic brain injury. IOVS, 2019 Oct. 60(13):4159-4170. Almeida DRP, Chin E, Arjmand P, Velez Evans LP , Mahajan VB. Fibrin glue and internal limiting membrane abrasion for optic disc pit maculopathy. OSLI Retina, 2018 Dec. 49(12):271-77. EvanLP , Newell EA, Mahajan M, Tsang SH, Ferguson PJ, Mahoney J, Hue CD, Vogel EW, Morrison B, Arancio O, Nichols R, Bassuk AG, Mahajan VB. Acute vitreoretinal trauma and inflammation after traumatic brain injury in mice. ACTN, 2018 Feb. 5(3):240-51.

Honors and Awards

  • Outstanding Poster Award: Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Health Science Research Week, UI (2018)
  • Medical Scientist Training Program: NIH, UI College of Medicine (2015-Present)
  • Dean’s List: Bowdin College (2011)
  • Post-comprehensive Fellowship - Graduate College
  • Graduate Colleg Outstanding Poster Award: Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Health Science Research Week, UI (2018)
  • Iowa Graduate Success Fellowship: UI Graduate College (2019)
  • Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA F30 Predoctoral Fellowship (2020)