At the Busskamp Lab at the University Eye Clinic Bonn a part-time position (25,025 h/week) is available:

PhD student (m/w/d)

Repairing and stabilizing cone function by a molecular surgical approach in retinitis pigmentosa.

The position starts from the 01.01.2025 or as soon as possible and is for a period of three years until 31.12.2027, with the possibility of an extension.

The convergence of photons into electrochemical signals is the first step in vision. Light perception occurs in the outer segments (OS) of photoreceptor cells in the retina. The structure and function of the OS is highly regulated and dysfunction leads to blindness. In this project, we aim to understand the molecular regulation of OS formation and loss. This is key to inducing the regeneration of these light-sensitive antennae in stem cell-derived human photoreceptors and to restoring light sensitivity in a retinal degenerative disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP). In RP, rod photoreceptors, which are important for night vision, degenerate due to rod-specific mutations. However, unaffected cone photoreceptors, which mediate high-acuity daytime and color vision, first lose their OS before they also progressively die. To date, the molecular events underlying OS loss in cone photoreceptors during and after rod degeneration are unknown. Here, we propose a systems-level survey at the transcriptomic level to reveal the molecular insults in cones. Subsequently, we will exploit the molecular players as therapeutic tools via gene therapy.