The Bower Lab

Carolina Eye Research Institute
Department of Ophthalmology

The Bower lab’s research interests are focused on the identification of potential therapeutic strategies for the most common type of primary malignant intraocular tumors, uveal melanoma (UVM). UVM is particularly suited for a genetic-based therapeutic approach in that 80-90% of tumors exhibit a unique stepwise genetic mutation pattern, beginning with a single mutation in either the GNAQ or GNA11 protein that results in the continuous activation of cell proliferation pathways, which eventually results in metastases in approximately 50% of patients. She is currently in the pre-clinical phase of testing her lead candidate therapeutic drug and is comparing multiple formulations to identify the most promising path forward towards a treatment for uveal melanoma. She hopes to exploit the unique molecular and cellular defects present in these tumors in order to translate her laboratory’s basic research findings into new treatment strategies and candidate therapeutics for uveal melanoma.