{"id":27158,"date":"2021-07-16T13:34:40","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T11:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/?p=27158"},"modified":"2021-07-22T09:22:28","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T07:22:28","slug":"semmelweis-universitys-research-project-on-the-recovery-of-sight-led-by-dr-botond-roska","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/2021\/07\/semmelweis-universitys-research-project-on-the-recovery-of-sight-led-by-dr-botond-roska\/","title":{"rendered":"New research project on vision restoration led by Dr. Botond Roska at Semmelweis University"},"content":{"rendered":"

Semmelweis University\u2019s research project led by Dr. Botond Roska has been granted a funding of 300 million HUF in the framework of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office’s Frontline \u2013 Research Excellence Programme. <\/span>Dr. Botond Roska is the Director of the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology in Basel, visiting professor and former student of Semmelweis University. The research project \u201cNovel approaches to restore vision and to slow down vision loss\u201d has three goals: to <\/span>restore colo<\/span>r vision in blind retinas, create smart optogenetic g<\/span>oggles<\/span>, and study the mechanism of ganglion cell death, which is the main cause of vision loss in <\/span>case of <\/span>glaucoma. <\/span>The project involving the institute in Basel, Semmelweis University\u2019s Department of Ophthalmology and Femtonics Ltd is coordinated by the university\u2019s Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The research funded by the grant will involve the close collaboration between three researchers from Budapest and the institute in Basel. The participants of the cooperation are Dr. Arnold Szab\u00f3, assistant lecturer of Semmelweis University\u2019s Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, leader of the Retina Laboratory; Dr. Bal\u00e1zs R\u00f3zsa, founding owner of Femtonics Ltd. and research fellow of the Institute of Experimental Medicine; and Dr. Zolt\u00e1n Zsolt Nagy, director of the university\u2019s Department of Ophthalmology.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe perform electrophysiological and molecular experiments on human post-mortem retina at Semmelweis University’s Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology. The state-of-the-art, 3D two-photon microscopes of Femtonics Ltd. will be used at the facilities of Femtonics Ltd to perform optical experiments on human retinas. Molecular devices are being developed at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology in Basel (IOB). The three specialists from Budapest will work in close cooperation with the staff members of the institute in Basel\u201d, the project leader explained.<\/p>\n

\n

The research project, realized <\/span>in the framework of the Frontline \u2013 Research Excellence Programme <\/span>has three objectives. One is to try to restore color vision in blind retinas. Further goals include the <\/span>creat<\/span>ion of<\/span> smart optogenetic g<\/span>oggles, <\/span>which <\/span>calculate the excitation pattern of the optogenetically transduced retina in real time, so that activity of the optic nerve best approximates that of the healthy human retina. The medical device is designed to ensure that the visual experience of restored vision is as close as possible to normal vision. <\/span>Furthermore, the research aims to investigate <\/span>the mechanism of ganglion cell death, which <\/span>may help in the future planning therapies to slow down cell degeneration. The degeneration of ganglion cell axons, which make up the optic nerve is the main cause of blindness in the case of glaucoma.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Dr. Botond Roska considers the cooperation with Hungarian specialists of utmost importance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDr. Arnold Szab\u00f3 invented the method to keep the human retina alive for 14 weeks post mortem. <\/span>This method, <\/span>combined with t<\/span>he world’s first 3D two-photon laser microscopes <\/span>made <\/span>by <\/span>Dr. <\/span>Bal\u00e1zs R\u00f3zsa a<\/span>s well as the<\/span> expertise <\/span>of Dr. Zolt\u00e1n Zsolt Nagy<\/span> in ophthalmic diseases, has great potential\u201d, <\/span>said Dr. Botond Roska, explaining that the project <\/span>is expected to start in October and <\/span>hopes <\/span>to see results in a few years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cThe success of the grant application is the result of more than seven years of intensive cooperation between the partners. In a series of experiments requiring a lot of energy and working hours over the recent years, we have created and further developed several pioneering techniques and procedures that have made it possible to perform previously unimaginable experiments on isolated human retinal tissue removed from the body\u201d, Dr. Arnold Szab\u00f3 pointed out.<\/p>\n

He also added that they have joint papers with the research group of Dr. Botond Roska published in prestigious scientific journals such as Nature Neuroscience<\/em>, Neuron<\/em>, Science and Cell<\/em>. Dr. Arnold Szab\u00f3 is particularly pleased that their joint projects are all translational research projects of clinical relevance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Based on 44 patents and more than ten highly prestigious <\/span>publications in connection with the project, Femtonics Ltd. t<\/span>ogether with Dr. Botond Roska and Dr. Arnold Szab\u00f3 are <\/span>developing a laser microscopy procedure, <\/span>which<\/span> is <\/span>capable of<\/span> high-speed parallel measurements of<\/span> s<\/span>patially complex neur<\/span>al<\/span> networks on up to hundreds of samples from <\/span>the <\/span>human brain and retina. This will allow to select <\/span>those optogenetically transduced samples<\/span> for therapeutic purposes, which have most effectively regained their physiological function. <\/span>With the help of the method, it will be possible to select from thousands of opportunities, which are expected to provide the most effective therapy in the clinical trials later on. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Another important mission is to combine the new molecular biology methodology of Dr. Botond Roska and team with our 3D laser microscopy technology to find ontogenetic solutions for several important diseases of the central nervous system (such as depression, dementia, epilepsy<\/span>)<\/span>. <\/span>With the help of Dr. Zsolt Zolt\u00e1n Nagy, we would like to lay the foundations of a new ophthalmic diagnostic method based on laser microscopy, which helps the detailed examination of patients who have undergone gene therapy\u201d, highlighted Dr. Bal\u00e1zs R\u00f3zsa.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"The retinal tissues required for the research project are provided by Semmelweis University\u2019s Department of Ophthalmology, which will also play an important role in another project <\/span>running in parallel. As Dr. Zolt\u00e1n Zsolt Nagy pointed out, <\/span>the <\/span>Basel <\/span>Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology, <\/span>Semmelweis University\u2019s Department of Ophthalmology and the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology had previously signed a cooperation agreement defining that the university department will be one of the <\/span>sites<\/span> for research related to optogenetic therapy with the involvement of patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith the help of the gene therapy developed by the research team of Dr. Botond Roska, the visual <\/span>functions<\/span> of a patient <\/span>suffering from<\/span> a rare eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa, ha<\/span>ve<\/span> been partially restored. <\/span>The research has recently been approved by the <\/span>Medical Research Council and the National Public Health Center. As a result, patients with certain types of hereditary eye diseases may be selected for gene therapy in the research phase in the next year or two\u201d, <\/span>said Dr. Zolt\u00e1n Zsolt Nagy.<\/span><\/p>\n

P\u00e1lma Dobozi
\nPhoto: Attila Kov\u00e1cs \u2013 Semmelweis University; G\u00e1bor Ancsin
\nTranslation: Katalin Ill\u00e9s-Romh\u00e1nyi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The research project has been granted a funding of 300 million HUF in the framework of the Frontline \u2013 Research Excellence Programme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101126,"featured_media":27157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,2],"tags":[29,121],"class_list":["post-27158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-news","tag-research","tag-science"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27158"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27279,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27158\/revisions\/27279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}