Dr. José Fernando Maya-Vetencourt obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of the Andes in Merida. He then pursued a Master’s degree in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he contributed to an international research project. He earned his PhD in Neurobiology at the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa under the mentorship of Lamberto Maffei and continued there as a Postdoctoral fellow. His postdoctoral work extended to the NEST laboratory.
Research Interests
Dr. Maya-Vetencourt’s research interests encompass:
- Neuronal Interfaces: Developing devices to substitute damaged tissues in the nervous system.
- Optogenetics and Neuronal Plasticity: Investigating mechanisms underlying sensory perception and behavior.
- Retinal Circuitries: Studying physiological and pathological conditions in the retina.
Publications and Academic Contributions
Dr. Maya-Vetencourt has published 34 scientific manuscripts in esteemed peer-reviewed journals, with 29 indexed in PubMed, including Science, Nature Neuroscience, and Nature Nanotechnology. He has edited one neuroscience book, authored four book chapters, and co-invented four patents. His work has garnered over 3400 citations, an H-index of 22 on Google Scholar, and an average impact factor per manuscript of 13.06.
Teaching and Mentorship
He has supervised over 35 Master’s thesis students in Neuroscience and Biotechnology. Dr. Maya-Vetencourt is a member of the Italian Society of Neuroscience (SINS), the American Society of Neuroscience (SfN), and the Italian Physiological Society (SIF). He serves as an associate review editor for “Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience” and “Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience”.
Awards and Recognitions
In 2017, Dr. Maya-Vetencourt received two prestigious “Young Investigator” awards: one from the Italian Physiological Society in Pavia and another from the Federation of European Physiological Societies in Vienna.
Pioneering Research
Dr. Maya-Vetencourt pioneered approaches to reactivate juvenile-like plasticity in the adult visual system (Nat Neurosc 2007; Science 2008). He explored chromatin susceptibility mechanisms for reinstating plasticity in the adult brain (Eur J Neurosci 2011). At IIT, he set up an electrophysiology lab to apply photovoltaic interfaces in rodent models of retinitis pigmentosa, leading to the development of a fully organic prosthetic device for subretinal implantation in RCS rats (Nat Mat 2017). This research demonstrated significant recovery of light sensitivity and visual acuity, accompanied by increased metabolic activity in the visual cortex.
Current Projects
Dr. Maya-Vetencourt is currently working on adapting surgical implant procedures for pig models to evaluate biocompatibility and visual function recovery (Front Bioeng Biotech 2020). He is also developing innovative “liquid” retinal prostheses to address age-related macular degeneration (Nat Nanotech 2020a, 2020b).
Future Directions
Dr. Maya-Vetencourt continues to advance the field of neuroscience by developing novel, biocompatible, and cost-effective solutions for neurodegenerative diseases, aiming to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients with degenerative blindness.