Dr. Volker Busskamp, research group leader at the DFG Research Center for Regenerative Therapies at the TU Dresden (CRTD) in Germany, recently received the €60,000 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize for Young Researchers for 2017 for his application-oriented neurobiological research, which is reflected in clinical gene therapy studies on retinitis pigmentosa.
Busskamp has reportedly been working on retinitis pigmentosa for almost a decade, and has reportedly developed three gene therapy approaches for the disease. One such approach included implanting foreign light-sensitive genes into inner retina cells, creating artificial photoreceptors, while another used the light-sensitive genes to treat defective photoreceptors directly. Based on these concepts, French start-up company Gensight is reportedly developing gene therapy approaches for clinical use.
Photo © Sven Döring
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Source: The Paul Ehrlich Foundation