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LOCATION:ICFO Auditorium
SUMMARY:ICFO | MARINA CUNQUERO NAVARRO
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Studying vision restoration is paramount for addressing degener
 ative blinding diseases\, which significantly impact quality of life and p
 ublic health. With more than 230M people worldwide affected by moderate to
  severe vision loss\, and an estimated increase in blindness from 38M to 1
 15M by 2050\, the urgency for effective treatments is clear. Vision\, bein
 g the most complex and crucial human sense\, relies on an intricate networ
 k of structures. Light is captured by photoreceptors in the retina and tra
 nslated into neural signals processed by the brain\, enabling sight. Degen
 erative diseases often involve the progressive deterioration of photorecep
 tors\, leading to blindness. Currently\, there is no cure but various appr
 oaches are being researched to restore sight. These include gene and cell 
 therapies targeting diseased tissue\, as well as methods like optogenetics
  and neuroprosthetics to modulate neuron activity and bypass dysfunction. 
 By understanding and manipulating neural activity\, scientists aim to rest
 ore vision or slow down the degenerative processes.The results of this PhD
  thesis highlight progress across four areas for vision restoration resear
 ch. Chapter 2a explores a new retinal implant using biocompatible reduced 
 graphene oxide microelectrodes\, demonstrating its ability to record neura
 l signals from retinal tissue and capture light-induced firing patterns in
  retinal ganglion cells. It also details a protocol for retinal calcium im
 aging\, facilitating future studies combining electrical stimulation with 
 optical techniques. Chapter 2b focuses on adapting an ophthalmoscope for i
 n vivo\, single-cell resolution imaging of the retina in rodents\, aiming 
 to set the basis for future implementations to monitor the functionality o
 f implanted retinal prostheses. Chapter 3 delves into the potential of hum
 an-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal organoids for vision rese
 arch. Using advanced imaging techniques\, researchers successfully observe
 d the formation of distinct retinal cell types within the organoids and id
 entified differences in calcium dynamics between healthy and diseased mode
 ls. Future work aims to refine MEA recordings and investigate the link bet
 ween retinal organoid structure and function. Chapter 4 introduces a novel
  three-photon excitation technique offering deeper brain penetration and h
 igher precision compared to traditional methods. This approach successfull
 y regulates neuronal activity in zebrafish with minimal light exposure\, s
 howcasing its potential for revolutionizing the study of neural circuits a
 nd development of neuromodulation therapies.Taken together\, these advance
 ments across retinal implant design\, in vivo monitoring of the retina\, s
 tudying the potential of patient-derived organoid models\, and development
  of non-invasive three-photon brain stimulation techniques\, pave the way 
 for future development of more effective vision restoration therapies.
DTSTAMP:20260407T071828Z
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