David Antonetti

David Antonetti, Ph.D., serves as Professor and Scientific Director at the University of Michigan's Kellogg Eye Center within the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. His laboratory actively accepts new students and maintains dual appointments in Molecular & Integrative Physiology. Antonetti directs research focused on vascular barrier mechanisms with significant implications for diabetic complications and stroke.

His research centers on the tight junction complex in blood-retinal and blood-brain barriers, investigating how diabetes and stroke compromise vascular integrity. Antonetti's lab pioneered the discovery that occludin phosphorylation regulates barrier properties, demonstrating that transgenic mice expressing phosphorylation-resistant occludin mutants preserve retinal vascular function during diabetes. Current work explores Norrin cytokine therapy for barrier restoration and occludin phosphorylation targeting for stroke treatment using biochemical, cell biological, and transgenic approaches.

Award highlights include the Jules Francois Prize (2004), Hinkle Society Translational Research Award (2007), and Roger W. Kittendorf Research Professorship (2019). His publication trends reveal sustained focus on vascular permeability mechanisms, with recent emphasis on Norrin signaling, disheveled-claudin interactions, and therapeutic repurposing for diabetic retinopathy and stroke.

• Jules Francois Prize for Young Investigator in Ophthalmology (2004)
• Hinkle Society Mid-Career Translational Research Award (2007)
• Most Inspirational Teacher Award (2009)
• Jules and Doris Stein Professorship (2011)
• Roger W. Kittendorf Research Professorship (2019)

Antonetti leads collaborative research with Dr. Dan Lawrence on blood-brain barrier mechanisms in stroke, and directs multiple institutional resources including the Michigan Research Experts Profile. His laboratory develops transgenic models and molecular techniques to translate barrier biology discoveries into novel therapeutics, with recent work focusing on controlled antibody delivery systems and repurposed drugs for vascular protection.

The Antonetti lab operates within the Kellogg Eye Center's research infrastructure, utilizing advanced techniques including mass spectrometry, mutational analysis in endothelial cell culture, transgenic mouse modeling, and optical coherence tomography. Current projects investigate neurovascular unit interactions, occludin-dynein mechanics, and Norrin-based therapeutics for diabetic retinopathy, with strong translational emphasis on vision preservation.