Katherine Wert, Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Assistant Professor School Medical School Department Ophthalmology | Molecular Biology Graduate Programs Genetics, Development and Disease, Neuroscience Research Interest Embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells Gene therapy Genetic mechanisms underlying ocular neurodegeneration Genome engineering Human stem cell transplantations Inherited retinal degenerations Metabolism and metabolic reprogramming Mouse models of ocular disease Retinitis Pigmentosa Sexual dimorphism and sex hormone signaling Publications Featured Publications Sensory quiescence induces a cell-non-autonomous integrated stress response curbed by condensate formation of the ATF4 and XRP1 effectors. Shekhar S, Tracy C, Lidsky PV, Andino R, Wert KJ, Krämer H, Nat Commun 2025 Jan 16 1 252 Female sex hormones exacerbate retinal neurodegeneration. Rowe AA, Reyes S, Velasquez MJ, Yee T, Nettesheim ER, McDonald JG, Wert KJ, bioRxiv 2024 Jul Murine Orchiectomy and Ovariectomy to Reduce Sex Hormone Production. Rowe AA, Issioui Y, Johnny B, Wert KJ, J Vis Exp 2023 Nov 201 Visual impairment cell non-autonomously dysregulates brain-wide proteostasis. Shekhar S, Wert KJ, Krämer H, bioRxiv 2023 Oct Human retina-in-a-dish: Unlocking the potential to study mechanisms of inherited retinal disease. Yee T, Wert KJ, Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023 Sep 30 573-575 HIF2a activation and mitochondrial deficit due to iron chelation cause retinal atrophy. Kong Y, Liu PK, Li Y, Nolan ND, Quinn PMJ, Hsu CW, Jenny LA, Zhao J, Cui X, Chang YJ, Wert KJ, Sparrow JR, Wang NK, Tsang SH, EMBO Mol Med 2023 Jan e16525 Long-term progression of retinal degeneration in a preclinical model of CLN7 Batten disease as a baseline for testing clinical therapeutics. Rowe AA, Chen X, Nettesheim ER, Issioui Y, Dong T, Hu Y, Messahel S, Kayani SN, Gray SJ, Wert KJ, EBioMedicine 2022 Nov 85 104314 Base and Prime Editing in the Retina-From Preclinical Research toward Human Clinical Trials. Yee T, Wert KJ, Int J Mol Sci 2022 Oct 23 20 Differential effects of obstructive sleep apnea on the corneal subbasal nerve plexus and retinal nerve fiber layer. Bussan KA, Stuard WL, Mussi N, Lee W, Whitson JT, Issioui Y, Rowe AA, Wert KJ, Robertson DM, PLoS One 2022 17 6 e0266483 Replenishment of TCA cycle intermediates provides photoreceptor resilience against neurodegeneration during progression of retinitis pigmentosa. Rowe AA, Patel PD, Gordillo R, Wert KJ, JCI Insight 2021 Jul Results 1-10 of 36 1 2 3 4 Next Last Professional Associations/Affiliations Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons/Institute of Human Nutrition (2008-2009) Columbia University Graduate School of the Arts and Sciences/Institute of Human Nutrition (2009-2013) Stanford University School of Medicine (2017-2019) Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research/MIT (2014-2017)
