Dr. Marie E. Burns, Ph.D.
Professor of Ophthalmology
University of California, Davis
Center for Neuroscience


Education:
Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania B.S. (Biochemistry) 1992.
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina Ph.D. (Neurobiology) 1996.
 
Welcome to the Burns Laboratory at UC Davis.
 
The Burns Lab is a retinal physiology laboratory located at UC Davis that is affiliated with the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and Center for Visual Sciences. Research focuses on the timing of signals underlying the first steps in vision, including regulation of phototransduction in photoreceptor outer segments and regulation at the first synapse in the retina. The laboratory consists of neuroscience graduate students and medical students from the UC Davis Medical Center, as well as university staff and undergraduate students from UCD and other educational institutions.
 
 
 
Left to right: Dr. Ed Pugh, Dr. Lauren Daniele, Owen Gross, Jim Long, Nathan Melling, Dr. Christine Insinna, Dr. Marie Burns, Topher Kessler
 
 
Research Focuses
 

  • Photoresponse deactivation: mechanisms underlying the deactivation of light responses of rod photoreceptors

  • Photoresponse adaptation: use as a non-invasive monitor of retinal function in normal and transgenic mice

  • Protein transport: the active and passive processes that influence protein movement in photoreceptors

 
 
Collaborations and Affiliations
 

  • Pugh Laboratory, UC Davis - Members of both labs work closely together in developing strategies, protocols, and data collection.

 
News and Updates
 
September 30th, 2009 – Dr. Christine Insinna has started her postdocoral position with us, and we're excited to have her on board.
 
August 11th, 2009 — Dr. Ed Pugh and postdoc Lauren Danielle have come to UC Davis, and our laboratories are working closely on setting up Ed's equipment and organizing space and equipment use. We are eager to get started imaging and performing both rod and cone recordings.
 
June 5th, 2009 — Dr. Ed Pugh and his laboratory will be moving to UC Davis from the University of Pennsylvania in the next few weeks, and our laboratory is looking forward to close collaboration with in pursuit of the details of phototransduction regulation and other protein interactions in photoreceptors. Dr. Pugh and our laboratory have worked closely in the past, and having his lab in close proximity to ours will bolster both of our research.
 
May 15th, 2009 — The UC Davis Health System has an article about Marie's reception of the ARVO Cogan award:

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Marie Burns, associate professor in the UC Davis Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science and a member of the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience, is the 2009 recipient of the Cogan Award. The award, bestowed by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, recognizes a researcher 40 years or younger who has made important contributions to research in ophthalmology or visual science that are directly related to disorders of the human eye or visual system, and who shows substantial promise for future research. Read More...
 
June 10th, 2008 — The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) has announced that Marie Burns is the recipient of the 2009 Cogan Award for her studies on rod phototransduction mechanisms. The Cogan Award recognizes a young researcher who is 40 years of age or younger who has made important and worthwhile contributions to research in ophthalmology or visual science, and who show substantial promise for future contributions. Burns will receive the award and present the Cogan Award Lecture at the ARVO Annual Meeting on May 5, 2009.