Syed Adeel Zaidi

Syed Adeel Zaidi is an Assistant Research Scientist at Augusta University's Medical College of Georgia, Department of Medicine, and a core member of the Vascular Biology Center's Ruth Caldwell Laboratory. His work bridges vascular biology, ophthalmology, and metabolic research to address vision-threatening conditions in premature infants and diabetic patients.

Education:

• PhD in Biomedical Sciences, General, Manipal University (2016)
• MS in Biotechnology, Aligarh Muslim University (2008)
• BS in Biochemistry, Aligarh Muslim University (2007)

Research Interests: Dr. Zaidi investigates molecular mechanisms of retinal vascular diseases with emphasis on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and diabetic retinopathy. His lab explores how enzymes like ACAT1/SOAT1 and arginase regulate pathological neovascularization, neurodegeneration, and metabolic dysfunction using transgenic mouse models. Current projects target ornithine decarboxylase pathways to prevent blindness in premature infants.

Publications Trends: His 2022-2025 publications reveal a cohesive focus on metabolic drivers of retinal disease, particularly lipid/amino acid metabolism in neovascularization. Key patterns include ACAT1's role in dyslipidemia-induced vascular damage, arginase-mediated neuroprotection in optic nerve injury, and metabolic rewiring in diabetic retinopathy. This work positions metabolic enzymes as promising therapeutic targets across multiple blinding conditions.

Scientific Awards:

• Early Career Mentorship Program (ARVO, 2025)
• Science Communication Training Fellowship (ARVO, 2024)
• Open Access APC Award (Augusta University, 2023)
• NEI-AOPT Early Career Travel Award (2023)
• Career Starter Award (Knights Templar, 2023)

Advising and Grants: Dr. Zaidi mentors undergraduate researchers through CURS 2990/3990 courses and supervises projects in the Caldwell Lab. His $90,000 Knights Templar grant (2023) and $450,000 AHA Career Development Award (2025-2028) support preclinical development of ROP therapies targeting ornithine decarboxylase. Future work aims to translate findings to clinical trials for ischemic retinopathies.

Labs and Teams: As part of Ruth Caldwell's multidisciplinary team, he collaborates with Modesto Rojas (ACAT1 research), Tahira Lemtalsi (cell biology), and Zhimin Xu (transgenic models). The lab combines molecular biology, tissue culture, and animal facilities to study vascular mechanisms, recently earning poster awards at the 2025 Savannah River Eye Meeting for ROP-related discoveries.