Mengya Zhao, PhD

Dr. Mengya Zhao is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), specializing in retinal neurobiology and neurodegenerative diseases. She completed her MD in 2015 and received her PhD in Ophthalmology from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 2017, China. During her PhD, she was a visiting graduate at UCSF for two years, working on glaucoma clinical and research projects. With a strong clinical background, Dr. Zhao’s research spans several visual disorders, including glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. During her PhD program, she made significant advancements in understanding glaucoma pathophysiology through her studies on retinal ganglion cell resilience and the neuroprotective role of Osteopontin (Spp1) in glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Her work also includes investigations into the safety and risk factors of pupillary dilation in glaucoma patients and biomarkers for primary open-angle glaucoma progression, highlighting her commitment to bridging laboratory research and clinical application. Since joining Dr. Duan’ lab as a postdoctoral fellow, she has been exploring the mechanisms underlying retinal neuron protection and regeneration. Her research combines genetics, viral approaches, and advanced spatial transcriptomic methods, with the ultimate goal of developing targeted therapies that regenerate lost retinal neurons and restore visual function in glaucoma patients.