In January 2006, a team of seven vision researchers joined Pat and Willard Walker Eye Research Center.  Team is headed by Nalini Bora Ph.D. (Professor), who assumed the position of director of the Pat and Willard Walker Eye Research Center in January.  Besides Nalini Bora, Ph.D. the team includes three new faculty members – Puran Bora, Ph.D. (Professor), Purushottam Jha, Ph.D. (Instructor) and Sankar Kaliappan, M.D (Instructor).  Since their arrival this team has hired three more skilled scientists and is supervising basic research conducted Ophthalmology resident(s).

Both Nalini Bora, Ph.D. and Puran Bora, Ph.D. are highly experienced NIH/NEI funded scientists with three RO1s (~$2.5 million).  Recently, Dr. Puran Bora signed two commercial contacts and received additional $100,000 for his research dealing with the prevention and/or treatment of Age-related macular Degeneration.

Research Staff

Nalini Bora Ph.D

Education:

• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
  Ph.D., Biochemistry and Immunology
• Post-doctoral Training, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO

Academic Appointments:

Professor and Director of Research, Pat and Willard Walker Eye Research Center, Department of Ophthalmology
Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology

Research Interests:

My research is focused upon the understanding of biochemical, immunological and molecular mechanisms of various ocular disease such uveitis, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), keratitis and ocular tumors.  My laboratory is first to demonstrate the importance of innate immune response (i.e. Complement System) in the protection of normal ocular tissues against infection as well as in systemic tolerance after the introduction of an antigen in the anterior segment of the eye.  For the first time my laboratory provided an important link between innate immunity and ocular auto-immunity using an animal model of idiopathic anterior uveitis.  Furthermore, we were first to demonstrate that the activation of complement system is crucial for the development of choroidal neo-vascularization (CNV) in wet-type AMD and keratitis.  Currently, my laboratory is investigating the role of innate immune response in the survival and metastasis of ocular tumors.

Selected Publications:

1.  Bora, N.S., Lublin, D.M., Kumar, B.V., Hockett, R.D., Holers, V.M. and Atkinson, J.P.: Structural gene for MCP maps to within 100 kb of the 3' end of the C3b/C4b receptor (CR1) gene.  J. Exp. Med. 169:597-602, 1989.

2.  Bora, N.S., Post, T.W. and Atkinson, J.P.: Membrane cofactor protein (MCP) of the  complement system: A Hind III restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) that correlates with the expression polymorphism.  J. Immunol. 146:2821-2825, 1991.

3.  Bora, N. S. , Gobleman, C. L. , Atkinson, J. P. , Pepose, J. S. and kaplan, H. J. : Differential expression of the complement regulatory proteins in the human eye.  Invest Ophthamol Vis Sci. 34 : 3579-3584, 1993.

4.  Bora,N.S., Kim, M.C., Kabeer,N.H., Simpson,S.C., Tandhasetti,M.T., Cirrito, T.P., Kaplan, A.D. and Kaplan,H.J.: Experimental autoimmune anterior uveitis ( EAAU ): Induction with melanin associated antigen from the iris and ciliary body.  Invest OphthalmolVis Sci. 36: 1056-1066, 1995.

5.  Sohn, J-H, Kaplan, H.J., Suk, H-J, Bora, P.S. and Bora, N.S.: Chronic low level complement activation within the eye is controlled by intraocular complement regulatory proteins.  Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 41: 3492 – 3502, 2000. 

6.  Sohn, J-H, Kaplan, H.J., Suk H-J, Bora, P.S. and Bora, N.S.: Complement-inhibitory activity of normal human intraocular fluid is caused by soluble forms of MCP, DAF and CD59. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 41: 4195 –4202, 2000.

7.  Sohn, J.H., Bora, P.S., Suk, J.H., Molina H., Kaplan H.J. and Bora, N.S.:Tolerance is dependent on complement fragment iC3b binding to antigen presenting cells.  Nature Medicine.  9: 206-212, 2003.
 
8.  Bora, P.S., Hu, Z., Tezel, T.H., Sohn, J.H., Kang, S.G., Cruz J.M.C., Bora, N.S,           Garen, A and Kaplan, H.J.: Immunotherapy for choroidal neovascularization in a laser induced mouse model simulating exudative (wet) macular degeneration. Proc. Natl. Acad. of Sci. USA., 100:  2679-2684, 2003.

9.  Bora, P.S., Sohn J.H., Cruz, J.M.C., Jha, P, Nishihori, H., Wang, Y., Kaliappan, S.,  Kaplan, H.J. and Bora, N.S.  Role of complement and complement membrane Attack complex in laser-induced choroidal neo-vascularization.  J Immunol, 174: 491-497, 200.

10.  Jha, P., Sohn, J.H., Qin, X., Nishihori, H., Wang, Y, Nishihori, S., Manickam, B.,          Kaplan, H.J, Bora, P.S. and Bora, N.S.  The Complement system plays a critical  role in the development of experimental autoimmune anterior uveitis (EAAU).    Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 47: 1030-1038, 2006. 

11.  Jha, P., Sohn, J.H., Qin X, Wang, Y., Kaplan, H.J., Bora P.S., and Bora, N.S..  Suppression of Complement Regulatory Proteins (CRPs) Exacerbates Experimental Autoimmune Anterior Uveitis (EAAU).  J of Immunology, 176: 7221-7231, 2006.    
   
12.  Bora, N.S., Kaliappan, S., Jha, P., Qin, X. Sohn, J. H., Dhaulakhandi, D.B., Kaplan         H.J. and Bora, P.S. Complement Activation via Alternative Pathway is Critical in the         Development of Laser-Induced Choroidal Neovascularization: Role of Factor B and  Factor H.  J of Immunology, 177: 1872-1878, 2006.

13.  Jha, P., Bora, P.S., Sohn, J.H., Kaplan, H.J and Bora, N.S.Complement system the eye (Review article).  Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 586: 53-62, 2006.    
   
14. Bora, P.S., Kaliappan, S., Xu, Q., Kumar, S., Wang, Y., Kaplan, H.J. and Bora, N.S. Alcohol linked to enhanced angiogenesis in rat model of choroidal neovascularization FEBS Journal (European J of Biochem), 273: 1403-1414, 2006.

15. Bora, N.S., Kaliappan, S., Jha, P., Xu, Q., Sivasankar, B., Harris, C.L., Morgan, B.P. and Bora, P.S. CD59, a Complement Regulatory Protein, Controls Choroidal Neovascularization in Wet-type Age-related Macular Degeneration. Journal of  Immunology, 2006 (In Press).

16. Bora, N.S. and Kaplan, H.J.: Intraocular Diseases - Anterior Uveitis. Immune Response and the Eye. Niederkorn JY, Kaplan HJ (eds): Chem Immunol Allergy, Basel, Karger, vol 92, pp 213 – 220, 2007.

17. Sohn, J.H., Bora, P.S., Jha, P., Kaplan, H.J. and Bora, N.S.:"Immunosuppressive Intraocular Microenvironments: Complement, Innate Immunity and Ocular Disease" Niederkorn JY, Kaplan HJ (eds): Chem Immunol, Allergy, Basel, Karger, vol 92, pp 105 – 114, 2007.

Patents Pending: 2