Matthew Petroll

Dr. W. Matthew Petroll is Professor and Vice Chair of Research in Ophthalmology at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He holds joint appointments in Biomedical Engineering and directs the Graduate Program in Biomedical Engineering (2012-2025). With a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia, his research applies engineering principles to ophthalmological problems.

Research Focus

The Petroll Lab investigates:

• Cell mechanics and 3D matrix interactions using time-lapse imaging
• Corneal fibroblast responses to biochemical/biophysical stimuli
• In vivo confocal microscopy for 3D corneal assessment
• Tissue engineering approaches for wound healing

Current projects examine stiffness-dependent TGF-β1 signaling, YAP translocation dynamics, and collagen scaffold fabrication.

Clinical Applications

Research addresses corneal wound healing following refractive surgery, UV cross-linking, and infection, utilizing advanced imaging techniques like second harmonic generation for stromal analysis.