Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Regan graduated with his PhD in Medical Science from the Australian National University in 2007, under the supervision of Professor Ian Morgan. After completing his PhD, Regan received a two year Early Career Postdoctoral Fellowship from the University of Tuebingen, Germany, as part of the European Union, Marie-Curie European Training Program, with Dr Marita Feldkaemper and Professor Frank Schaeffel. On returning to Australia, Regan took up a lecturing position at the University of Canberra in 2011 before accepting the position of Assistant Professor within the Faculty in 2012. He now heads the Visual Neuroscience Group within the Centre for Research into Therapeutic Solutions (Health Research Institute).
Regan's research focuses on the molecular pathways underlying the regulation of normal ocular growth, and how such neural pathways are affected during the development of the visual disorder myopia (short-sightedness). Myopia is now at epidemic proportion in many parts of the world, most notably in urban East Asia, where 80-90% of school-leavers are myopic. Recently, Regan’s research has shown that exposure to bright light levels; similar to that experienced by being outdoors, can prevent the development of experimental myopia in animal models. This protection appears to be driven by light-induced increases in the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine within the eye. This work has culminated in Regan being awarded the prestigious Attempto Prize for Neuroscience, from the University of Tuebingen, Germany (2010), and the Carl Zeiss Young Investigators Award in Vision Science (2013).
Regan's current research looks at better understanding the genomic and epigenomic regulatory mechanisms by which exposure to high light levels can retard the development of myopia.
Research interests
- Investigating the underlying causes of the visual disorder myopia (short-sightedness)
- Genomic/epigenomic regulation of ocular growth
- Retinal neural development
External positions
Visiting Fellow, Australian National University
1 Feb 2012 → …
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Improving chalkbrood disease protection in honey bee colonies using probiotics and prebiotics
Nayudu, M., Frese, M. & Ashby, R.
1/09/20 → 15/04/24
Project: Research
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Temporal integration of visual signals by the retina
Kang, P. & Ashby, R.
17/06/21 → 31/03/22
Project: Research
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Phase 1 safety and tolerability trial of levodopa eye drops for the treatment of short sightedness (myopia)
19/03/20 → 24/01/22
Project: Research
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The analysis of ocular samples in the chicken myopia model
Ashby, R. & Schmid, K.
1/03/17 → 31/12/19
Project: Other
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Correlation between small-scale methylation changes and gene expression during the development of myopia
Thomson, K., Game, J., Karouta, C., Morgan, I. G. & Ashby, R., Jan 2022, In: FASEB Journal. 36, 1, p. 1-25 25 p., e22129.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Downloads (Pure) -
Coadministration with carbidopa enhances the antimyopic effects of levodopa in chickens
Thomson, K., Morgan, I., Kelly, T., Karouta, C. & Ashby, R., Apr 2021, In: Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 62, 4, p. 1-18 18 p., 25.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (SciVal)26 Downloads (Pure) -
Conservation and turnover of miRNAs and their highly complementary targets in early branching animals
Praher, D., Zimmermann, B., Dnyansagar, R., Miller, D. J., Moya, A., Modepalli, V., Fridrich, A., Sher, D., Friis-Møller, L., Sundberg, P., Fôret, S., Ashby, R., Moran, Y. & Technau, U., 24 Feb 2021, In: Proceedings. Biological sciences. 288, 1945, p. 1-10 10 p., 20203169.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile11 Downloads (Pure) -
Insights into the mechanism of atropine's anti-myopia effects: evidence against cholinergic hyperactivity and modulation of dopamine release
Thomson, K., Kelly, T., Karouta, C., Morgan, I. & Ashby, R., 24 Jul 2021, (E-pub ahead of print) In: British Journal of Pharmacology. 178, 22, p. 4501-4517 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Rural-urban differences in myopia prevalence among myopes presenting to Bhutanese retinal clinical services: a 3-year national study
Rai, B. B., Ashby, R. S., French, A. N. & Maddess, T., Mar 2021, In: Albrecht von Graefes Archiv für Klinische und Experimentelle Ophthalmologie. 259, 3, p. 613-621 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
4 Citations (Scopus)