A woman with curly hair and glasses smiling, wearing a black shirt and a necklace.

Alejandra Bosco, PhD

Languages spoken: Spanish, Portuguese, English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Neurobiology

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Research Statement

Microglial cells are essential modulators of nervous system development, homeostasis, aging and disease, including acute injury and chronic neurodegeneration. Functionally, microglia instantly sense and react to all forms of alterations with a variety of expression profiles and activation states, with different functions. The functions and impact of specific activation states of microglia are starting to be identified, and microglia are emerging as decisive neuroimmune players with supportive, protective or detrimental roles, depending on context and disease stage.

My research focuses on understanding the functions and roles of microglia and complement signaling during retina and optic nerve neurodegeneration.

Ultimately, we aim at discovering microglia-based therapeutics for glaucoma by modulating innate neuroimmune responses at onset and during the progression of retinal ganglion cell neurodegeneration.

Our work includes basic, mechanistic, and translational research:

• Microglia functions and pathways in the adult retina

• Microglial roles in glaucomatous neurodegeneration

• Neuroprotective therapeutics by microglia modulation in glaucoma

• Animal models of adult-onset glaucoma based on pathways pathogenic in patients

Education History

Undergraduate J.N. Terrero Institute
 BSc
Undergraduate National University of La Plata, UNLP
 BSc
Doctoral Training National University of La Plata, UNLP
 PhD

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Alejandra Bosco, Kevin T Breen, Sarah R Anderson, Michael R Steele, David J Calkins, Monica L Vette (2016). Glial coverage in the optic nerve expands in proportion to optic axon loss in chronic mouse glaucoma. Experimental eye research, 150(Sep), 34-43.
  2. Pete A Williams, Nick M Marsh-Armstrong, Gareth R Howell, Lasker/IRRF Initiative on Astrocytes and Glaucomatous Neurodegeneration Participant (2017). Neuroinflammation in glaucoma: A new opportunity. Experimental eye research, 157, 20-27.
  3. Alejandra Bosco, Denise M Inman, Michael R Steele, Guangming Wu, Ileana Soto, Nicholas Marsh-Armstrong, Walter C Hubbard, David J Calkins, Philip J Horner, Monica L Vette (2008). Reduced retina microglial activation and improved optic nerve integrity with minocycline treatment in the DBA/2J mouse model of glaucoma. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 49(4), 1437-46.
  4. Alejandra Bosco, Michael R Steele, Monica L Vette (2011). Early microglia activation in a mouse model of chronic glaucoma. The Journal of comparative neurology, 519(4), 599-620, Cover Image.
  5. Melina P Bordone, Maria F González Fleitas, Laura A Pasquini, Alejandra Bosco, Pablo H Sande, Ruth E Rosenstein, Damian Dorfma (2017). Involvement of microglia in early axoglial alterations of the optic nerve induced by experimental glaucoma. Journal of neurochemistry, 142(2), 323-37, Cover Image.
  6. Alejandra Bosco, Sarah R Anderson, Kevin T Breen, Cesar O Romero, Michael R Steele, Vince A Chiodo, Sanford L Boye, William W Hauswirth, Stephen Tomlinson, Monica L Vette (2018). Complement C3-targeted gene therapy restricts onset and progression of neurodegeneration in chronic mouse glaucoma. Molecular therapy, 26(10), 2379-99, Cover Image.
  7. Alejandra Bosco, Samuel D Crish, Michael R Steele, Cesar O Romero, Denise M Inman, Philip J Horner, David J Calkins, Monica L Vette (2012). Early reduction of microglia activation by irradiation in a model of chronic glaucoma. PloS one, 7(8), e43602.
  8. Alejandra Bosco, Cesar O Romero, Balamurali K Ambati, Monica L Vette (2015). In vivo dynamics of retinal microglial activation during neurodegeneration: confocal ophthalmoscopic imaging and cell morphometry in mouse glaucoma. Journal of visualized experiments, 99(e52731), 1-14.
  9. Kevin T Breen, Sarah R Anderson, Michael R Steele, Cesar O Romero, David J Calkins, Alejandra Bosco, Monica L Vette (2016). Loss of fractalkine signaling exacerbates axon transport dysfunction in a chronic model of glaucoma. Frontiers in neuroscience, 10(526),
  10. Alejandra Bosco, Cesar O Romero, Kevin T Breen, Alexis A Chagovetz, Michael R Steele, Balamurali K Ambati, Monica L Vette (2015). Neurodegeneration severity can be predicted from early microglia alterations monitored in vivo in a mouse model of chronic glaucoma. Disease models & mechanisms, 8(5), 443-55, Cover Image.
  11. Sarah R Anderson, Jacqueline M Roberts, Jianmin Zhang, Michael R Steele, Cesar O Romero, Alejandra Bosco, Monica L Vette (2019). Developmental apoptosis promotes a disease-related gene signature and independence from CSF1R signaling in retinal microglia. Cell reports, 27(7), 2002-13.
  12. Anderson SR, Roberts JM, Ghena N, Irvin EA, Schwakopf J, Cooperstein IB, Bosco A, Vetter M (2022). Neuronal apoptosis drives remodeling states of microglia and shifts in survival pathway dependence. eLife, 11, (Read full article)
  13. Oliveira-Valença VM, Bosco A, Vetter ML, Silveira M (2020). On the Generation and Regeneration of Retinal Ganglion Cells. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 8, 581136. (Read full article)
  14. Breen KT, Anderson SR, Steele MR, Calkins DJ, Bosco A, Vetter M (2016). Loss of Fractalkine Signaling Exacerbates Axon Transport Dysfunction in a Chronic Model of Glaucoma. Frontiers in neuroscience, 10, 526. (Read full article)

Other

  1. Anderson SR, Roberts JM, Zhang J, Steele MR, Romero CO, Bosco A, Vetter M (2019). Developmental Apoptosis Promotes a Disease-Related Gene Signature and Independence from CSF1R Signaling in Retinal Microglia. Cell reports, 27(7), 2002-2013.e5. (Read full article)
  2. Bosco A, Breen KT, Anderson SR, Steele MR, Calkins DJ, Vetter M (2016). Glial coverage in the optic nerve expands in proportion to optic axon loss in chronic mouse glaucoma. Experimental eye research, 150, 34-43. (Read full article)
  3. Bosco A, Steele MR, Vetter M (2011). Early microglia activation in a mouse model of chronic glaucoma. The Journal of comparative neurology, 519(4), 599-620. (Read full article)
  4. Bordone MP, González Fleitas MF, Pasquini LA, Bosco A, Sande PH, Rosenstein RE, Dorfman (2017). Involvement of microglia in early axoglial alterations of the optic nerve induced by experimental glaucoma. Journal of neurochemistry, 142(2), 323-337. (Read full article)
  5. Bosco A, Anderson SR, Breen KT, Romero CO, Steele MR, Chiodo VA, Boye SL, Hauswirth WW, Tomlinson S, Vetter M (2018). Complement C3-Targeted Gene Therapy Restricts Onset and Progression of Neurodegeneration in Chronic Mouse Glaucoma. Molecular therapy, 26(10), 2379-2396. (Read full article)

Video/Film/CD/Web/Podcast

  1. Bosco A, Romero CO, Ambati BK, Vetter M (2015). In vivo dynamics of retinal microglial activation during neurodegeneration: confocal ophthalmoscopic imaging and cell morphometry in mouse glaucoma. Journal of visualized experiments, (99), e52731. (Read full article)