Publications

Dr. Wentao Deng is a vision scientist whose research focuses on the molecular mechanisms and gene therapy of inherited retinal diseases. Her publications have advanced the understanding of cone and rod photoreceptor degeneration and contributed to the development of AAV-based gene therapies for disorders such as X-linked cone dystrophy, blue cone monochromacy, and other inherited retinal dystrophies.

Gene therapy rescues cone function in an all-cone retina mouse model with the most common cone opsin C203R missense mutation

Cahill ME, Chmelik K, Brothers BA, Ashcraft ME, Guan T, Puja A,
Xiang Y, Shaw LM, Du J, Deng WT.

PLoS One. 2026 Jun 11;21(6):e0332684.

PMID: 42275379; PMCID: PMC13258009; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0332684.

Read the Paper

Gene therapy rescues cone function in opn1mw-/-/opn1sw-/-/Nrl-/- mice, an all-cone model of blue cone monochromacy

Cahill ME, Chmelik K, Ashcraft ME, Brothers BA, Guan T, Nguyen J, Puja A, Eminhizer M, Shaw LM, Barbera RJ, Sechrest ER, Du J, Deng WT

Mol Ther Adv. 2025 Dec 26;34(1):201657.

PMID: 42157965; PMCID: PMC13182793; DOI: 10.1016/j.omta.2025.201657

Read the Paper

Molecular mechanisms limiting the AAV gene therapy treatment window in mouse models of blue cone monochromacy

Brothers BA, Sechrest ER, Ma L, Ashcraft ME, Guan T, Barbera RJ, Shaw LM, Chen B, Baehr W, Hu G, Stoilov P, Deng WT

Commun Biol. 2025 Nov 24;8(1):1654.

PMID: 41286353; PMCID: PMC12644701; DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-09045-0.

Read the Paper

Therapeutic potential of archaeal unfoldase PANet and the gateless T20S proteasome in P23H rhodopsin retinitis pigmentosa mice

Brooks C, Kolson D, Sechrest E, Chuah J, Schupp J, Billington N, Deng WT, Smith D, Sokolov M.

Commun Biol. 2025 Nov 24;8(1):1654.

PLoS One. 2024 Oct 3;19(10):e0308058.

PMID: 39361629; PMCID: PMC11449290; DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308058.

Read the Paper

Expression of red/green-cone opsin mutants K82E, P187S, M273K result in unique pathobiological perturbations to cone structure and function.

Sechrest ER, Barbera RJ, Ma X, Dyka F, Ahn J, Brothers BA, Cahill ME, Hall I, Baehr W, Deng WT

Front Neurosci. 2024 Feb 12;18:1368089.

PMID: 38410159; PMCID: PMC10895044; DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1368089.

Read the Paper

Structural and functional rescue of cones carrying
the most common cone opsin C203R missense mutation

Sechrest ER, Ma X, Cahill ME, Barbera RJ, Wang Y, Deng WT

JCI Insight. 2024 Jan 23;9(2):e172834.

PMID: 38060327; PMCID: PMC10906232; DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.172834.

Read the Paper

Blue Cone Monochromacy and Gene Therapy

Sechrest ER, Chmelik K, Tan WD, Deng WT

Vision Res. 2023 Jul;208:108221. Epub 2023 Mar 29.

PMID: 37001420; PMCID: PMC10182257; DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2023.108221.

Read the Paper

Gene Therapy in Opn1mw-/-/Opn1sw-/- Mice and Implications
for Blue Cone Monochromacy Patients with Deletion Mutations

Ma X, Sechrest E, Fajardo D, Zhu P, Dyka FM, Wang Y, Lobanova E, Boye S,
Baehr W, Deng WT

Hum Gene Ther. 2022 Mar 10.

PMID: 35272502; PMCID: PMC9347391; DOI: 10.1089/hum.2021.298.

Read the Paper

Disease mechanisms of X-linked cone dystrophy caused
by missense mutations in the red and green cone opsins

Zhu P, Dyka F, Ma X, Yin L, Yu H, Baehr W, Hauswirth WW, Deng WT

FASEB J. 2021 Oct;35(10): e21927.

PMID: 34547123; DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101066R.

Read the Paper

Publications

Gene therapy rescues cone function in an all-cone retina mouse model with the most common cone opsin C203R missense mutation

Gene therapy rescues cone function in opn1mw-/-/opn1sw-/-/Nrl-/- mice, an all-cone model of blue cone monochromacy

Molecular mechanisms limiting the AAV gene therapy treatment window in mouse models of blue cone monochromacy

Therapeutic potential of archaeal unfoldase PANet and the gateless T20S proteasome in P23H rhodopsin retinitis pigmentosa mice

Expression of red/green-cone opsin mutants K82E, P187S, M273K result in unique pathobiological perturbations to cone structure and function.

Structural and functional rescue of cones carrying the most common cone opsin C203R missense mutation

Blue Cone Monochromacy and Gene Therapy

Gene Therapy in Opn1mw-/-/Opn1sw-/- Mice and Implications for Blue Cone Monochromacy Patients with Deletion Mutations

Disease mechanisms of X-linked cone dystrophy caused by missense mutations in the red and green cone opsins

Structural and functional rescue of cones carrying
the most common cone opsin C203R missense mutation

Gene Therapy in Opn1mw-/-/Opn1sw-/- Mice and Implications
for Blue Cone Monochromacy Patients with Deletion Mutations

Disease mechanisms of X-linked cone dystrophy caused
by missense mutations in the red and green cone opsins