Qiuhua Yang

Research Interest

Vision loss affects millions of people worldwide, significantly diminishing the quality of life and independence. Despite advancements in treatment, many retinal degenerative diseases remain incurable, underscoring the urgent need for deeper mechanistic insights and innovative therapeutic strategies.

Our lab investigates the metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms driving retinal degenerative diseases, aging-related pathologies, and ocular fibrosis. We focus on understanding the complex interactions among retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, macrophages/microglia, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts, with an emphasis on how metabolic reprogramming and inflammation contribute to disease progression. The interplay among metabolism, inflammation, and epigenetics plays a crucial role in these processes, as metabolite imbalances can influence gene expression, ultimately affecting cell fate and proliferation.

Our current projects aim to characterize metabolic heterogeneity within tissues, identify novel metabolic regulators, and explore metabolic signaling between different cell types. We are particularly focused on dissecting the distinct yet overlapping mechanisms involved in both forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In wet AMD, we study how aberrant angiogenesis and immune-driven remodeling lead to choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and subretinal fibrosis. In dry AMD, we investigate the mechanisms of RPE degeneration, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress that culminate in geographic atrophy (GA). Across both forms, we examine how metabolic and inflammatory cues regulate the crosstalk among RPE cells, immune cells, and endothelial cells. We are also investigating how retinal ischemia—as seen in diabetic retinopathy (DR), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and other ischemic conditions—triggers maladaptive immune and metabolic responses that accelerate neurovascular damage and fibrosis.

Utilizing cutting-edge technologies—including spatial transcriptomics, spatial metabolomics, single-cell sequencing, optical and photoacoustic imaging, and cell-cell interaction profiling—we aim to elucidate the molecular pathways driving AMD, DR, ROP, and retinal ischemia. In parallel, we explore broader systemic connections through the eye-gut, eye-cardiovascular, and eye-kidney axes, leveraging the eye as a “window” into systemic disease mechanisms.

Our ultimate goal is to identify novel therapeutic targets to halt or reverse vision loss and uncover broader implications for systemic health. Our work is generously supported by the NIH/NEI, the Renaissance School of Medicine, and Stony Brook University.

We welcome collaborations across disciplines and invite enthusiastic undergraduate students, graduate students, MD/PhD trainees, ophthalmology residents and fellows, and postdocs to join our team. Our lab offers a supportive, interdisciplinary environment for trainees interested in vision science, immune-metabolism, and translational research.