Jeffrey Harder, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Fellow

Bar Harbor, ME

Researching axon degeneration and the roles of immunity in the central nervous system and diet in glaucoma.

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About Jeffrey Harder, Ph.D.

I joined the Simon John lab in the spring of 2013, excited by the opportunity of working with Dr. John and using a multidisciplinary approach in my research. Using DBA/2J mice as a model of glaucoma, my current research focuses on axon degeneration, the role of innate immunity in the central nervous system, and the role of diet in neurodegeneration. This includes studying the role of JNKs in glaucomatous injury and working to identify early signaling events that may initiate injury. For another project, I am collaborating with faculty from Dalhousie University, working on defining human genes responsible for exfoliation syndrome glaucoma. I also work closely with fellow postdoc Pete Williams and help direct two research assistants in the lab. This opportunity to collaborate and manage while working through complex projects is broadening my conceptual thinking abilities both scientifically and managerially, and improving the array of skill sets necessary for running a lab.

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Grants, honors and accomplishments

2014 The Barbara and Joseph Cohen Endowmen

2013 Immunology Training Fellowship, The Jackson Laboratory

2011 National Eye Institute Travel Grant, ARVO

2011 Pathology Research Day Poster Award, University of Rochester Medical School.

2008 Vision Training Fellowship, University of Rochester.

2007 Pathology Graduate Program Award, University of Rochester Medical School.

2001 Awarded Scholars Medal by Schreyers Honor College, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.

Research Highlight April 25, 2017
JAX researchers provide clearer view of glaucoma processes

An immune response triggered by high pressure in the eye occurs early in glaucoma and has a protective effect on retinal cells, a Jackson Laboratory (JAX) research team led by Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Simon W.M. John, Ph.D., reports in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
eNews April 09, 2015
Psychiatric Disorders in Offspring Linked to Asthmatic Mothers

A 2015 study in mice examining the developmental and behavioral differences between offspring born to asthmatic and non-asthmatic mothers draws an important link between inflammatory signaling in utero and its effect on neurological development.
eNews March 17, 2015
Normalizing CD4+ T Cell Metabolism Reverses Systemic Lupus

An exciting study(Yin et al. 2015) demonstrates that normalizing CD4+ T cell metabolism effectively reverses disease phenotypes in multiple mouse models of lupus, offering a novel therapeutic approach for treating this autoimmune disease in humans.
- Immunology
- Immune Disorders
Blog Post November 29, 2012
A surgeon, a scientist and the path toward progress

The connection between basic research and applied medicine is often viewed as disconnected
- Immunology
- Genetics and Genomics

eNews May 27, 2015
Generating New Self-Specific Treg Cells to Target Autoimmune Disorders

Treg cells can be activated in vivo to inhibit autoimmune signaling that otherwise causes uncontrolled destruction of healthy tissues by cytotoxic T cells in many common autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis.
eNews May 13, 2015
Modeling Antibody-Induced Cytokine Storm in Hu-PBMC NSG Mice

Humanized hu-NSG™ mice are being used to reliable prescreen new anti-cancer immunotherapeutic agents for immune-mediated toxicity in vivo, with the potential to prevent adverse clinical side-effects in patients and save millions of dollars spent on failed clinical trials.
eNews July 12, 2011
Tlr9 and Ifng are required to induce a 'cytokine storm' syndrome in mice
eNews April 07, 2010
Pep Boys on Discovery mission to study the effects of microgravity

Learn about JAX Pep Boy mice sent to space to better understand the effects of microgravity on cell growth and the immune system.