Matthew Benson, MD, MSc, FRCSC

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry - Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science

Contact

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry - Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science
Email
mbenson@ualberta.ca
Phone
(780) 492-9502
Address
7-030 Katz Group Centre For Research
11315 - 87 Ave NW
Edmonton AB
T6G 2H5

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

Ophthalmic Genetics Inherited Retinal Diseases Retinal Pigment Epithelium Stem Cells Peroxisome Biogenesis Disorders


About

Dr. Benson is a clinician-scientist in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and he currently hold a Bayer Professorship in Translational Research in Ophthalmology appointment. He completed his ophthalmology residency and graduate studies at the University of Alberta. He then pursued subspecialty fellowship training in ophthalmic genetics at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. His clinical interests include ophthalmic genetics and adult strabismus.


Contact details for clinical matters:

Room 2318 10240 Kingsway Ave

Royal Alexandra Hospital

Edmonton AB T5H 3V9

Phone: 780-735-5932

Fax: 780-735-4969


Research

Dr. Benson's lab investigates disease mechanisms of inherited retinal disorders and macular degeneration using cell culture-based techniques. Specifically, his lab is interested in understanding the role of peroxisomes in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and how dysfunction of peroxisomes may cause retinal degeneration and blindness. Peroxisomes are subcellular organelles that have critical roles in lipid metabolism and cellular detoxification. His lab reprograms skin fibroblasts from patients with peroxisomal disorders into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The iPSCs are then differentiated into RPE cells where the consequence of peroxisome dysfunction is evaluated in a disease-relevant cell type. Ultimately, Dr. Benson's lab aims to identify precision medicine approaches to restore vision in patients with inherited retinal diseases.