Novel therapeutic options for human diseases

In the human disease retinitis pigmentosa the photoreceptors degenerate, leading to blindness. Electrical prostheses can elicit visual sensations in patients; however, processes secondary to photoreceptor death lead to pathological rhythmic activity in the remaining retinal network that seems to interfere with this therapeutic approach. We study and characterize signal transmission in both healthy and diseased mouse retina and, in co-operation with partners from universities and from within the Forschungszentrum, aim at developing improved prosthetic devices.

Biswas S, Haselier C, Mataruga A, Thumann G, Walter P, Müller F. Pharmacological analysis of intrinsic neuronal oscillations in rd10 retina. PloS one. 2014;9(6):e99075. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099075. PubMed PMID: 24918437; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4053359.

Rösch S, Johnen S, Mataruga A, Müller F, Pfarrer C, Walter P. Selective photoreceptor degeneration by intravitreal injection of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Investigative ophthalmology & visual science. 2014;55(3):1711-23. doi: 10.1167/iovs.13-13242. PubMed PMID: 24550357.

Rösch S, Johnen S, Müller F, Pfarrer C, Walter P, “Correlations between ERG, OCT, and Anatomical Findings in the rd10 Mouse”, Journal of Ophthalmology. 2014.

Rösch S, Johnen S, Mazinani B, Müller F, Pfarrer C, Walter P. (2015) The effects of iodoacetic acid on the mouse retina. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol; 253(1):25-35.

Rösch S, Aretzweiler C, Müller F, Walter P. (2016) Evaluation of Retinal Function and Morphology of the Pink-Eyed Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Rat: A Comparative Study of in Vivo and in Vitro Methods. Curr Eye Res, DOI: 10.1080/02713683.2016.1179333.

Rösch S, Werner C, Müller F, Walter P. Photoreceptor degeneration by intravitreal injection of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in rabbits: a pilot study. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2017 Feb;255(2):317-331. doi: 10.1007/s00417-016-3531-7.

Rösch S, Aretzweiler C, Müller F, Walter P. Evaluation of Retinal Function and Morphology of the Pink-Eyed Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Rat: A Comparative Study of in Vivo and in Vitro Methods. Curr Eye Res. 2017 Feb;42(2):273-281. doi: 10.1080/02713683.2016.1179333

Haselier C, Biswas S, Rösch S, Thumann G, Müller F, Walter P (2017) Correlations between specific patterns of spontaneous activity and stimulation efficiency in degenerated retina. PLoS One 12:e0190048

Rincon Montes V, Gehlen J, Lück S, Mokwa W, Müller F, Walter P, Offenhäusser A (2019) Toward a bidirectional communication between retinal cells an d a prosthetic device – a proof of concept. Front Neurosci 13:367

Meer AV, Berger T, Müller F, Foldenauer AC, Johnen S, Walter P (2020) Establishment and characterization of a unilateral UV-induced photoreceptor degeneration model in the C57Bl/6J mouse. Transl Vis Sci Technol 9:21

Rincon Montes V, Gehlen J, Ingebrandt S, Mokwa W, Walter P, Müller F, Offenhäusser A (2020) Development and in vitro validation of flexible intraretinal probes. Sci Rep 10:19836

Gehlen J, Esser S, Schaffrath K, Johnen S, Walter P, Müller F (2020) Blockade of retinal oscillations by benzodiazipines improves efficiency of electrical stimulation in the mouse model of RP, rd10. Invest Opthalmol Vis Sci 61:37

Halfmann C, Rüland T, Müller F, Jehasse K, Kampa BM (2023) Electrophysiological properties of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons n the primary visual cortex of a retinitis