Nicolas G. Bazan

Nicolas G. Bazan, M.D., Ph.D., is a Boyd Professor at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, holding the Ernest C. and Yvette C. Villere Chair for the Study of Retinal Degeneration. He serves as Professor of Ophthalmology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Neurology, and is the founding Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at the LSU Health School of Medicine. He is also a Foreign Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Bazan has been called 'a true renaissance man,' with contributions spanning research science, teaching, mentorship, community leadership, authorship, and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Bazan's research focuses on fundamental cellular and molecular lipid signaling in neurodegeneration and retinal dysfunctions. His laboratory discovered neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), a docosanoid derived from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which has shown significant neuroprotective effects in Alzheimer's disease, experimental stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, and age-related macular degeneration. His work has revealed how DHA and its derivatives create pro-homeostatic mediators that counteract early events in neurodegenerative processes. He has also co-founded two startup companies, NeuResto Therapeutics, LLC and South Rampart Pharma, LLC, to translate his discoveries into therapeutic applications.

His extensive publication record includes over 500 peer-reviewed articles with an h-index of 106 and more than 46,470 citations. His research has established new paradigms in understanding how lipid signaling mediates cellular responses to injury and neurodegeneration, with particular emphasis on how omega-3 fatty acids and their derivatives provide protection against neurological and retinal diseases.

• Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award (1989)
• Proctor Medal, ARVO's highest honor (2007)
• Chevreul Medal, Paris, France (2011)
• Mossakowski Medal, Polish Academy of Sciences (2013)
• German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases Award (2018)
• Gradle Medal for Teaching (2016)

Dr. Bazan has advised numerous students and collaborators who have continued his work in neuroscience and ophthalmology. His laboratory has received significant grant funding for research on lipid mediators in neuroprotection. He has also been involved in community outreach, authoring novels including 'Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind' which was produced as the feature film 'Of Mind and Music.' His work bridges fundamental science with clinical applications, aiming to translate discoveries into treatments for neurodegenerative conditions.