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Dr Lola Mugisho

PhD (biomedical science), MSc (hons), PGDipSci, BSc

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Research Fellow
In: Ophthalmology » School of Medicine » Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences

Biography

Dr Lola Mugisho is a postdoctoral research fellow who holds a Neurological Foundation First Fellowship and is the Deputy Director of the Buchanan Ocular Therapeutics Unit at the University of Auckland. Dr Mugisho completed her PhD at the University of Auckland in 2018. Since then, she has been awarded several prestigious grants and awards including the New Horizons Women’s Trust Margaret L Bailey Science Award as well as being an associate investigator on a Health Research Council COVID-19 research grant. Lola’s research focusses primarily on understanding the role of the inflammasome pathway in chronic inflammatory diseases. Her expertise includes developing novel in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo models in which to test novel anti-inflammatory therapies to aid clinical translation.

Research | Current

Dr Mugisho's research investigates the role of the inflammasome pathway in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic inflammatory diseases. Specifically, her research evaluates the following lines of enquiry:

  • Evaluating the efficacy of inflammasome inhibitors in preventing cognitive decline and retinal degeneration in aging disease models.
  • Exploring the correlation between vitreous and serum-based inflammasome biomarkers and the progression of diabetic retinopathy within a clinical setting.
  • Evaluating the efficacy of inflammasome inhibitors in disease models of chronic retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and uveitis.
  • Development and characterisation of a novel human organotypic retinal explant culture model for use in the study of inflammasome in chronic retinal diseases.

Teaching | Current

OPTOM 345 - Basic Principles of Ocular Pharmacology

Postgraduate supervision

Current PhD students

  • Charisse Kuo (PhD main supervisor)
  • Avik Shome (PhD co-main supervisor)
  • Henry Louie (PhD co-supervisor)
  • Yosra Agban (PhD co-supervisor)

Current MSc/Hons students

  • Fariha Fatima (MSc main supervisor)
  • Marvelous Adesina (MSc main supervisor)
  • Kenny Jung (BOptom (Hons) co-supervisor)

Current and previous summer students

  • 2020: Jack Jonathan Maran, Caitlyn Ulyatt, Khushi Sehajpal
  • 2019: Jyoti Aryal
  • 2018: Heather Kang
  • 2017: Charisse Kuo

Distinctions/Honours

  • Margaret L Bailey Science Award (2020)
  • Citation in the Dean's List for PhD Excellence (2018)
  • Sir John Logan Campbell Travel Award (2018)
  • International Gap Junction Conference (IGJC) Travel Award (2017)
  • Buchanan Ocular Therapeutics Unit Doctoral Scholarship (2015)
  • Faculty of Science Masters Awards (2013)
  • FMHS Summer Studentship Scholarship (2012/2013)

Areas of expertise

Connexin- and inflammasome-based therapeutics for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases

 

Committees/Professional groups/Services

Committee member, Retina New Zealand

Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)

As of 29 October 2020 there will be no automatic updating of 'selected publications and creative works' from Research Outputs. Please continue to keep your Research Outputs profile up to date.
  • Kuo, C., Green, C. R., Rupenthal, I. D., & Mugisho, O. O. (2020). Connexin43 hemichannel block protects against retinal pigment epithelial cell barrier breakdown. Acta diabetologica, 57 (1), 13-22. 10.1007/s00592-019-01352-3
    Other University of Auckland co-authors: Ilva Rupenthal, Colin Green, Charisse Kuo
  • Mugisho, O. O., Rupenthal, I. D., Paquet-Durand, F., Acosta, M. L., & Green, C. R. (2019). Targeting connexin hemichannels to control the inflammasome: the correlation between connexin43 and NLRP3 expression in chronic eye disease. Expert opinion on therapeutic targets, 23 (10), 855-863. 10.1080/14728222.2019.1673368
    Other University of Auckland co-authors: Monica Acosta, Ilva Rupenthal, Colin Green
  • Agban, Y., Thakur, S. S., Mugisho, O. O., & Rupenthal, I. D. (2019). Depot formulations to sustain periocular drug delivery to the posterior eye segment. Drug discovery today, 24 (8), 1458-1469. 10.1016/j.drudis.2019.03.023
    Other University of Auckland co-authors: Ilva Rupenthal, Sachin Thakur
  • Mugisho, O. O., Green, C. R., Zhang, J., Acosta, M. L., & Rupenthal, I. D. (2019). Connexin43 hemichannels: A potential drug target for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Drug discovery today, 24 (8), 1627-1636. 10.1016/j.drudis.2019.01.011
    Other University of Auckland co-authors: Colin Green, Ilva Rupenthal, Jie Zhang, Monica Acosta
  • Mugisho, O. O., Green, C. R., Squirrell, D. M., Bould, S., Danesh-Meyer, H. V., Zhang, J., ... Rupenthal, I. D. (2019). Connexin43 hemichannel block protects against the development of diabetic retinopathy signs in a mouse model of the disease. Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany), 97 (2), 215-229. 10.1007/s00109-018-1727-5
    Other University of Auckland co-authors: Jie Zhang, Colin Green, Helen Danesh-Meyer, Monica Acosta, Ilva Rupenthal
  • Mugisho, O. O., Green, C. R., Kho, D. T., Zhang, J., Graham, E. S., Acosta, M. L., & Rupenthal, I. D. (2018). The inflammasome pathway is amplified and perpetuated in an autocrine manner through connexin43 hemichannel mediated ATP release. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - General Subjects, 1862 (3), 385-393. 10.1016/j.bbagen.2017.11.015
    Other University of Auckland co-authors: Ilva Rupenthal, Colin Green, Monica Acosta, Scott Graham, Jie Zhang
  • Mugisho, O. O., Rupenthal, I. D., Squirrell, D. M., Bould, S. J., Danesh-Meyer, H. V., Zhang, J., ... Acosta, M. L. (2018). Intravitreal pro-inflammatory cytokines in non-obese diabetic mice: Modelling signs of diabetic retinopathy. PloS one, 13 (8)10.1371/journal.pone.0202156
    Other University of Auckland co-authors: Monica Acosta, Ilva Rupenthal, Helen Danesh-Meyer, Colin Green, Jie Zhang
  • Mugisho, O. O., Green, C. R., Zhang, J., Binz, N., Acosta, M. L., Rakoczy, E., & Rupenthal, I. D. (2017). Immunohistochemical characterization of connexin43 expression in a mouse model of diabetic retinopathy and in human donor retinas. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 18 (12).10.3390/ijms18122567
    Other University of Auckland co-authors: Colin Green, Jie Zhang, Monica Acosta, Ilva Rupenthal
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Primary office location

M&HS BUILDING 504 - Bldg 504
Level 4, Room 416
85 PARK RD
GRAFTON
AUCKLAND 1023
New Zealand

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