Darwin Babino, PhD
In the world of science, every researcher has a unique story of what drew them to their field of study. For Darwin Babino, PhD, new Assistant Professor at Upstate Medical University, it all began with a simple question-- that has turned into a mission to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into vision research and make strides in understanding the intricacies of vision and eye-related diseases.
“During high school, I was chosen for an innovative internship program at the University of Miami aimed at introducing underrepresented minorities to potential careers in medicine and medical research. This early immersion program was my gateway to the world of labs. My passion for ophthalmology grew from my initial curiosity about the properties of carotenoids and their integral role in vision and overall human health. My curiosity shifted from understanding the role of a single family of compounds to a broader exploration of the eye’s structure and function. Venturing into biochemistry and neuroscience was a natural progression as it takes a multidisciplinary approach to decode the complexities of vision.”
During his studies at Florida International University, Babino developed high-performance liquid chromatography protocols and applied them across several disciplines, including a human pilot study comparing the effects on serum and macular pigment density to different lutein supplements. He then went on to his doctoral training at Case Western Reserve University where he learned about the impact mutations can have on mammalian vision, igniting his interest in developing treatments to prevent and reverse vision loss. This led him to complete his postdoctoral training in Vision Neuroscience at the University of Washington, where he focused on developing machine learning methods to test and develop vision restoration therapies.
Now, as a member of the Center for Vision Research (CVR) at Upstate Medical University, Dr. Babino brings with him a wealth of knowledge and a vision for the future of vision research. One of his key goals is to harness the power of AI and machine learning to accelerate discoveries in neuroscience and eye-related sciences.