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Syed Adeel Zaidi

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Syed Adeel Zaidi

Other Faculty

Academic Appointment(s)

Medical College of Georgia
Department of Medicine

Bio

I am an early-career investigator with a strong foundation in retinal neurovascular diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, and ocular hypertension. My research program focuses on identifying common mechanisms of neurovascular injury across ischemic retinopathies, including neovascularization, blood-retina barrier breakdown, vascular senescence and neurodegeneration. These pathological processes drive vision loss and represent key targets for therapeutic intervention.

Education

  • DR, Biomedical Sciences, General Manipal University, 2016

  • MS, Biotechnology Aligarh Muslim University, 2008

  • BS, Biochemistry Aligarh Muslim University, 2007

Awards & Honors

  • Retina Research Foundation/Joseph M. and Eula C. Lawrence Travel Grant Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) , 2025

  • Career Development Award American Heart Association, 2025

  • Early Career Editorial Board (ECEB) Member Cells (MDPI, Basel, Switzerland), 2025

  • Vision Discovery Institute Pilot Project Grant James & Jean Culver Vision Discovery Institute, 2025

  • Early Career Mentorship Program (Mentee). Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) , 2025

Courses Taught Most Recent Academic Year

  • MEDI 6300

    Career Paths in Med

  • CURS 3990

    Undergrad Research II

  • CURS 2990

    Undergrad Research I

Teaching Interests

Although my current role as Assistant Research Scientist does not require teaching (0 FTE), I have actively participated in teaching various courses at the medical school level. My focus is on enhancing students' understanding and practical application of the subject matter. Recently, I participated in teaching MEDI 6300 Career Paths in Medicine (Spring 2025 and Fall 2025). In this course, I served as a component organizer for Ophthalmology (1 day) and as an instructor for Translational Vision Research (1 hour). Additionally, I participated in 2025 Student Educational Enrichment Program (SEEP) in the summer of 2025, where I instructed high school students in Biotechnology Techniques I (4 hours) and Biotechnology Techniques II (2 hours). I am actively participating in undergraduate research initiatives through the AU Center for Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (CURS). I am currently serving as thesis advisor to Ms. Rinu Sabu, BS in Biology (Honors) program at the College of Science and Mathematics.

Scholarship

Selected Recent Publications

  • Treatment of Oxygen-induced Retinopathy with a stable form of Arginine Deiminase (ADI-PEG20)., 2026
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Myeloid ACAT1/SOAT1: a novel regulator of dyslipidemia and retinal neovascularization. , 2025
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Calbindin 2-specific deletion of arginase 2 preserves visual function after optic nerve crush, 2023
    Journal Article, Professional Journal
  • Role of acyl-coenzyme A: cholesterol transferase 1 (ACAT1) in retinal neovascularization, 2023
    Journal Article, Academic Journal
  • Targeting proliferative retinopathy: Arginase 1 limits vitreoretinal neovascularization and promotes angiogenic repair, 2022
    Journal Article, Academic Journal

Research Interests

I have developed substantial experience working with mouse models of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) and type 1 diabetic retinopathy (DR), including in vivo assessments of retinal structure and function. As a co-investigator on a NEI-funded multi-PI R01 with Drs. Ruth Caldwell and Modesto Rojas, my current work explores the role of cholesterol homeostasis in DR and ROP, further strengthening my expertise in retinal metabolism, inflammation, and neurovascular injury. My other projects seeks to define the role of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in the pathogenesis of ROP and DR through the support of Knights Templar Eye Foundation Inc (KTEF) Career Starter grant (2023-2024), and 麻豆官网首页入口 Intramural Grant Program (2024-2026).