Professor Cheryl Mae Craft, Ph.D.
October marks International Biosafety and Biosecurity Month, a time to reflect on the critical importance of safety in research environments. At USC, our focus is promoting best practices that protect researchers, their teams, and the communities they serve. Whether handling biohazardous materials, ensuring the safe disposal of lab waste, or conducting research in USC’s BSL-3, biosafety is essential in advancing scientific discovery.
October also marks Blind Equality Achievement Month, where over the last 30 years, dramatic progress has been made in diagnosing, preventing, and curing blindness. At USC’s Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) and the USC Roski Eye Institute, Professor Cheryl Mae Craft, Ph.D., is leading the charge in groundbreaking vision research that is changing lives.
Dr. Craft leads a dynamic team of students, faculty, and collaborators from USC and beyond, all united by a shared passion for pushing the boundaries of vision research. “We’re currently working on treating visual loss with replacement gene therapy and in vitro stem cell technology,” Dr. Craft explains. Alongside her colleagues Drs. Hossein Ameri and Eun-Jin Grace Lee, she is utilizing CRISPR technology to target genetic defects involved in slowing retinal degeneration, while her collaboration with Dr. David Corbinik and others at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has uncovered key developmental cone regulators controlling retinoblastoma genesis. Other collaborators include Shinwu Jeong, PhD, Dominic Shayler, PhD, Mengmei Zheng, MS, and USC undergraduate, Margarit Margaran. Dr. Craft’s commitment to both research and education shines through her mentorship of clinician-scientists and providing medical ethical training to doctoral and medical students and the results have been nothing short of remarkable.
Dr. Craft’s discoveries include identifying key genes in the pineal and retina (including arrestins) that maintain normal high-acuity vision, as well as pioneering therapies to reduce eye inflammation and protect photoreceptor cells.
When asked about the role of biosafety in her work, Dr. Craft emphasizes its importance in every aspect of her lab’s research. “Safety First is a motto we take seriously every day,” she says. As former USC KSOM director for Responsible Conduct of Research, Dr. Craft teaches the importance of biosafety in the laboratory, ensuring the highest biosafety standards while navigating the complexities and risks involved in bioresearch.
As we celebrate both International Biosafety and Blind Equality Achievement Month this October, Dr. Craft’s work stands as a testament to USC’s mission of advancing research that makes a tangible difference in the world. From the lab bench to the clinic, her dedication to improving the lives of those at risk of vision loss continues to inspire her colleagues, students, and the community at large.
List of Dr. Craft’s Publications 2002 – 2024 >>
Read more about Biosafety Month >>
