Dr. Natalia Vergara’s team uses stem cells to understand the mechanisms of retina development and degeneration and to develop treatments for diseases that lead to vision loss or blindness. Born in Argentina, Natalia obtained her PhD in biology at Miami University in Ohio, where she studied the mechanisms of lens and retina regeneration. Later, during her postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, she was part of a team that developed the first 3D human retina derived from stem cells that could respond to light. She joined the Faculty at the University of Colorado in 2017 as part of CellSight, the ocular stem cell and regeneration program in the Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center, where she applies this technology to developing treatments for retinal degenerative diseases.
Natalia has numerous publications and awards in retina developmental and regenerative biology, including three recent awards from the National Eye Institute for the development of improved technologies for the application of retinal organoids to drug development. She is also involved in education outreach and activities to promote inclusivity in science.