Rupalatha Maddala, PhD, is an assistant professor of ophthalmology in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Duke University School of Medicine. Her research interests are broadly focused on understanding the regulatory mechanisms of cytoskeletal organization and cell adhesive interactions in the trabecular meshwork and lens, as well as how their dysregulation impacts trabecular meshwork physiology, aqueous humor dynamics and intraocular pressure, and lens morphogenesis (both differentiation and function).
After obtaining her PhD in biochemistry from Osmania University in India, Dr. Maddala came to Duke University to pursue postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Vasantha Rao, PhD, who is co-primary investigator of this project. During her postdoctoral training, Dr. Maddala was very productive in both glaucoma and lens projects, acquiring extensive expertise in various state-of-the-art techniques. She has generated various gene-targeted mouse models to understand the role of cytoskeletal biology in trabecular meshwork and lens physiology and for studying the pathobiology of glaucoma and cataracts. She has published more than 40 manuscripts in various high-impact journals and presented her research findings at both national and international conferences.