Let There Be Light: laser therapy for combating blindness

About:

The inner limiting membrane (ILM) is the dominant hurdle to overcome to reach the retina after intravitreal injection for both viral and non-viral carriers. Several strategies to remove this membrane have been investigated, yet all of them are invasive and/or toxic. In this lecture, we present a novel technology to manipulate the ILM by applying pulsed laser light. Indeed, our ex vivo and in vivo proof-of-concept studies have revealed that this strategy can greatly enhance the delivery of gene carriers to the retina following intravitreal injection.

Bio:

Karen Peynshaert is a postdoctoral fellow at Ghent University with expertise in ocular drug delivery barriers. During her PhD she developed an ex vivo model, a vitreoretinal explant, designed to look at the vitreous and inner limiting membrane as barriers to retinal delivery. Her primary focus now is ILM photodisruption, a technology to manipulate the ILM, in context of delivery of AAVs, nanoparticles and since 2022 also stem-cell derived retinal ganglion cells.  

Host: Anna Abbadessa. Junior PI La Caixa. 

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