Kelsey Smith

My research focuses on the role of the intestinal microbiome in the development of an age-related macular degeneration phenotype (AMDf) in aged mice fed a high or low glycemic index diet. We use antibiotic ablation and fecal microbiota transplants to manipulate the intestinal microbiome, and we will be evaluating the effects of this manipulation on the eyes and other tissues using histological, biochemical, immunohistochemical, and metabolomics analyses.