Constance Louise Cepko

Dr. Constance Louise Cepko is a Professor of Genetics and Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, where she is also an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Cepko seeks to understand the mechanisms that direct development and degeneration of the central nervous system (CNS), with a focus on the vertebrate retina. The human retina has a very pronounced pattern: a central area called the macula that is rich in cones (photoreceptor cells that function in bright light and allow us to see color) and a peripheral region rich in rods (which operate in dim light). But how do molecular cues that tell developing cells to become cones or rods in order to produce a functional retina? To answer this question, Cepko uses genomics approaches and in situ hybridization to better determine which genes are candidates for playing a role in cell fate determination in the retina, drawing on profiles of more than 200 single retinal cells. The Cepko lab uses these data to attempt to determine how the retina uses this large repertoire of genes to form the complex retinal tissue of greater than 60 neuronal cell types. They are particularly interested in the diversification of the different types of interneurons as these cells form critical elements in retinal circuitry. To aid this research, Cepko developed an electroporation method for a series of plasmids that promote the regulated expression of short hairpin RNAs, cDNA, or multiple genes and shRNA species. This method allows for relatively rapid assessment of gene function, including genetic epistasis. In addition to her work to understand retinal development, Cepko also studies the mechanisms that lead to the death of photoreceptors in the many inherited forms of human blindness and is working towards gene therapy for prevention of blindness. Cepko has received numerous accolades for her work, including the A. Clifford Barger Excellence in Mentoring Award, the Alcon Research Institute Award, the Bressler Prize, the David Cogan Award, and membership in the National Academy of Sciences as well as her American Academy of Arts and Sciences membership. Her publications appear in Cell, Developmental Cell, and Journal of Neuroscience.