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Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration & Repair Laboratory

Our research

NNRL Lab

Retinal neurodegenerative diseases are a major cause of untreatable blindness worldwide. The Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration & Repair Laboratory (NNRL) is defining the fundamental biological pathways that guide differentiation of retinal neurons, such as photoreceptors and ganglion cells. We are elucidating the genetic and biological defects associated with aging, and evaluating gene- and cell-based treatments using both classical (e.g. mouse) and novel (e.g. non-model vertebrates, stem cell organoids) models.

The Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration & Repair Laboratory includes:

Neurobiology Neurodegeneration & Repair Laboratory Updates

See our latest news, highlights and accomplishments here.

Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration & Repair Laboratory key staff

Key staff table
Name Title Email Phone
Zachary Batz, Ph.D. Biologist (Bioinformatics) zachary.batz@nih.gov 301-435-6149
Matthew Brooks, B.S. Biologist–Computational Biology brooksma@nih.gov 301-443-4906
Charlie Drinnan, Ph.D. Technical Lab Manager charlie.drinnan@nih.gov 301-443-7399
Lucia Lawrence Program Specialist lawrencel@mail.nih.gov 301-435-6149
Yide Mi Animal Services Technician yidem@nei.nih.gov
Jacob Nellissery, Ph.D. Biologist nellisseryj@nei.nih.gov 301-443-4996
Arturo Rivera, M.S. Research Assistant arturo.rivera@nih.gov 301-443-8451
Anand Swaroop, Ph.D. Senior Investigator swaroopa@nei.nih.gov 301-435-5754

Research at NEI

Last updated: July 18, 2025