​Vision loss is a major cause of morbidity and a major fear for many people. The main causes of vision loss originate from the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Blindness is currently an untreatable medical condition and represents a significant unmet medical need.

Optogenetics is a form of gene therapy that uses light-sensitive proteins to control biological processes. This technique can be particularly useful for vision restoration, as remaining cells in the blind retina can be made light-sensitive through targeted expression of an optogenetic protein.​

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We developed an optogenetic vector that can selectively express a light-sensitive protein in human cells and activate them. We used a human retina model to demonstrate that this approach can restore retinal light sensitivity and retinal computations. The optogenetically treated retina responded to light stimulation just as normal human retinas do.

Our goal is translate this work  to the clinic.  We founded a spinout company, RhyGaze AG, which will further develop the therapy with a goal of initiating a clinical trial. Our approach has the potential to restore high-acuity vision in blind patients who retain cones in the fovea.​​​​

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