Michael DO

Boston Children's Hospital
Harvard Medical School
USA
Website

The Do lab asks how neural signaling is diversified to meet varied behavioral needs. It investigates the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs): how they serve functions as different as circadian and pupillary regulation, and how they compare across species that occupy distinct ecological niches. The lab also explores the fovea, a retinal specialization that supports the exceptional visual acuity of humans and other primates. The question is how this performance arises from biophysical mechanisms of foveal neurons.

Michael Do is an Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and a Research Associate in Neurobiology at Boston Children's Hospital. His Ph.D. work with Bruce Bean (Harvard Medical School) examined how the gating of ion channels produces spontaneous action potentials. His postdoctoral work with King-Wai Yau (Johns Hopkins) defined basic features of ipRGCs, from their effectiveness of photon catch to their strength in driving behavior.