Ammar Kapic successfully defends PhD dissertation
Congratulations Dr. Ammar Kapic!
Ammar fulfilled the requirements for the PhD degree in Biochemistry and Cancer Biology under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Katalin Prokai-Tatrai and Dr. Laszlo Prokai.
His dissertation was titled “Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics Reveals the Impact of 17β-Estradiol Deficiency and the Therapeutic Utility of DHED on the Male Rodent Reproductive and Visual Systems.”
“Loss of sex hormones such as the neuroprotective 17β-estradiol (E2) has been shown to drive neurodegeneration; however, this remains understudied in males. E2 has been suggested as a potential therapeutic; however, these approaches are limited due to systemic side effects like feminization and cancer risks,” Ammar said.
“To address this knowledge gap, we employed mass spectrometry-based proteomics to investigate, for the very first time, the molecular consequences of sex hormone deprivation and estrogen supplementation using the CNS-targeting E2 prodrug, DHED, across three biological contexts in males: the seminal vesicles, retina, and visual cortex, in addition to behavioral assessments of vision and histological analysis of retinal ganglion cell populations.”
“These studies carry translational implications for understanding glaucomatous neurodegeneration of the retina and brain in the context of hormonal decline. Collectively, this work advances our understanding of sex hormone deprivation in visual system neurodegeneration and supports retina-targeted E2 delivery as a neuroprotective strategy.”
Ammar has started a new role as postdoctoral research scientist at Texas Christian University in the lab of Dr. Zygmunt Gryczynski.