Speaker: Dr Jessica Rodgers, Division of Neuroscience, University of Manchester
Title:Vision restoration after photoreceptor loss: from opsins to visual circuits
Speaker Bio: Jess completed an undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of York and a DPhil in Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Oxford, studying naturally occurring variation in the photopigment melanopsin. Since 2016, she has worked as post-doctoral research associate with Prof Robert Lucas at the University of Manchester, where her research has focused on developing and testing optogenetic approaches to vision restoration.
Abstract: Photoreceptor loss is the common endpoint of many inherited retinal degenerations, but surviving inner retinal neurons provide an opportunity for optogenetic vision restoration. In this mutation-independent gene therapy, inner retinal neurons are genetically engineered to express light-sensitive proteins called opsins. Here, I will discuss my research into the factors that determine the quality of restored vision, from the molecular properties of therapeutic opsins to the retinal cells and circuits they engage. I will describe how retinal remodelling and cell targeting influence restored visual responses, alongside our work developing and characterising new opsin-based therapeutic tools. Together, this work aims to inform the rational design of more effective optogenetic therapies.
