About Reza Dana, MD, MPH, MSC

Departments, Centers, & Programs:

Clinical Interests:

Treats:

Languages:

Locations

Mass Eye and Ear
243 Charles St.
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: 617-523-7900

Medical Education

  • MSc, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health*
  • MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  • MPH, Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health
  • Residency, Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary
  • Fellowship, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
  • Fellowship, Wills Eye Institute

American Board Certifications

  • Ophthalmology, American Board of Ophthalmology

Research

Dr. Dana is an ophthalmologist and immunologist whose principal research interest is in determining the molecular and cellular regulation of corneal and ocular surface immunity.  His laboratory focuses on the mechanisms by which both immune and non-hematopoietic (tissue resident) cells maintain immune quiescence in both alloimmunity and autoimmunity.  Work from the Dana lab has been instrumental in determining the cytokine ligands and receptors (including decoy non-signaling receptors) that maintain the eye's immune and angiogenic privilege.  Since these regulatory functions are susceptible to failure in states of high inflammation,  the lab has focused on (I) determining the mechanisms that lead to abrogation of the normal regulatory functions of immune cells and (ii) cytokine targeting strategies that can counter-balance these pathogenic mechanisms for restoring immune homeostasis. The work has uncovered numerous mechanisms that regulate antigen-presenting/dendritic cell maturation and mobilization in the eye and lymphoid tissues, interactions between immune cells, including effector and regulatory T cells (Treg), with the ocular surface epithelium and vascular endothelium, and more recently Treg plasticity and regulatory breakdown in chronic inflammation.  The group's more recent program is focused on the effect of aging on the Treg-memory T cell balance.

Publications

  • 1. Dana R. Letter From the New Editor-in-Chief. Cornea. 2020 Jan; 39(1):1.

    2. Coco G, Foulsham W, Nakao T, Yin J, Amouzegar A, Taketani Y, Chauhan SK, Dana R. Regulatory T cells promote corneal endothelial cell survival following transplantation via interleukin-10. AM J Transplant. 2020;20(2):389-398. PMID: 31587452

    3. Yu M, Lee SM, Lee H, Amouzegar A, Nakao T, Chen Y, Dana R. Neurokinin-1 receptor antagonism ameliorates dry eye disease by inhibiting antigen-presenting cell maturation and T helper 17 cell antagonism. AM J Pathol. 2020;190:125-133. PMID: 31669306.

    4. Inomata T, Iwagami M, Nakamura M, Shiang T, Yoshimura Y, Fujimoto K, Okumura Y, Eguchi A, Iwata N, Miura M, Hori S, Hiratsuka Y, Uchino M, Tsubota K, Dana R, Murakami A. Characteristics and Risk Factors Associated With Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Symptomatic Dry Eye Using a Smartphone Application. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2019 Nov 27. 

    5. Lu??nik Z, Sun Z, Yin J, Benetz BA, Lass JH, Dana R. A standardized methodology for longitudinal assessment of corneal endothelial morphometry in eye banked corneas. J Biol Methods. 2019; 6(4):e120.

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