News
On September 4th, 2025, we had the honour to host for the 5th meeting of the eye research groups from Gießen and Marburg, marking another exciting opportunity to share knowledge and advance our collaborative work in ophthalmology. After what we hope was a restful summer break, we—along with the groups led by Diana Pauly (Marburg), Knut Stieger (Gießen), Heidrun Deissler (Gießen), and Markus Preising (Gießen)—were excited to reconnect, exchange ideas, and dive back into our research.
The meeting was filled with insightful presentations from both PhD students and PIs, reflecting the range of experimental approaches we're exploring in our eye research efforts in Marburg and Gießen.
It’s always inspiring to see the hard work and creativity within our community. Some of the fascinating topics we discussed included:
- Nanoparticles for mRNA Delivery in Ocular Therapy
- Gene Editing in the ABCA4 Gene
- The Effect of AAV-Expressed Opsonins on Gene Expression in RD1 Mice
- Characterization of a Rod/Cone Degeneration Mouse Model for Gene Therapy
- Impact of Hyperoxia on the Vascular Network in iNOS Deficient and Wild-Type Mice
- Claudin-1, Proteasome Inhibitors, and Endothelial Cell Barrier Function
- C3 and Its Role in RPE Cells
Overall, the meeting was a vibrant exchange of ideas and a perfect reflection of how collaborative work can push the boundaries of experimental eye research. The breadth of topics we covered highlighted just how dynamic our field is and reminded us of the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Some biophysics from our lab! With the LIAISON consortium (https://www.kvs-liaison.eu/) we could show that Silent KV channels, previously thought to only heteromerize with KV2 (KCNB) family members can indeed also form complexes, and likely heteotetramerize with KV7 (KCNQ) channels, substantially broadening the their biophysical diversity. The full paper is available at CMLS.
We are very happy to see the results of our latest research online at BioRXiv: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.22.604613v1. The visual code that can be achieved by targeting ON bipolar cells with optogenetic therapy is much richer as when targeting retinal ganglion cells! A great collaborative work led by our colleagues in Manchester!
Joint photo of groups from the Neurophysiology Department! Great colleagues gathering in front of the historic ruins of the Hospital of Elisabeth of Thuringia, right in the Institute's garden!
Our research bridges the gap from basic biophysics to clinical medicine with a primary focus on optogenetic visual restoration. We are dedicated to understanding the functional capacity of optogenetic vision restoration, including the visual code generated by optogenetic interventions, the impact of these interventions on residual native vision, and the potential consequences of expressing optogenetic tools in the retina.
Another focus of our research is understanding how modulatory ion channel subunits regulate retinal signal processing and how dysfunction of such modulatory subunits leads to retinal disease. A Particularly exiting example is the silent voltage-gated potassium channel subunit Kcnv2, that is expressed in rod and cone photoreceptors. Mutations in the Kcnv2 gene cause an inherited form of blindness termed Cone Dystrophy with Supernormal Rod Responses (CDSRR). We are trying to understand how and with which other ion channel subunits Kcnv2 interacts and how this may contribute to the increased susceptibility of cones in CDSRR. We hope that this will help us to identify novel approaches to treat this inherited retinal disorder.
We employ a wide range of methodologies, from in silico approaches and immunohistochemistry to ex-vivo and in-vivo electrophysiology. Our latest ventures also include the exploration of lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-mediated mRNA delivery to the retina, a promising alternative to traditional gene delivery methods. Importantly, we benefit from a number of inspiring collaborations with researchers from across the world.
We are always seeking highly motivated individuals to join us in our innovative research endeavors.