Will gene-editing treatment be able to cure blindness?
Every year, the Körber European Science Prize is awarded to a scientist that has been outstanding in their field. Indeed, it is often presented to a scientist that has developed excellent research that shows potential for future development.
Not only can a scientist enjoy the recognition of their hard work and the prestige associated with this award, but they can also enjoy €1m. Most of this money goes toward furthering their research.
Revolutionary treatment for retinitis pigmentosa
The winner of the Körber European Science Prize for 2020 is Botond Roska. He is a cell biologist from Hungary that has been working on curing retinitis pigmentosa, a type of degenerative eye disease that can affect children and worsen into adulthood. Eventually, it is a problem that ends up with the person going blind.
Roska was able to discover his findings by identifying over 100 cells in the retina. He figured out what they are able to do and how they operate within the eye. He believed that the retina cells can be reprogrammed into photoreceptors. The damaged retina cells can be restored and this might eliminate blindness.
Roska is developing his research and carrying out clinical trials at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Curing blindness is something that a lot of scientists want to do, and this is just one example of research that shows potential.
CEO at Kohli Ventures, Tej Kohli, also wants to help people and he has already helped to restore the sight of many people who were blind.
Since Roska was able to restore a blind retina during his research, he may be able to help people too.
More about Botond Roska’s expertise
Dr Botond Roska has been researching vision for over 20 years. Indeed, he started his work in this field many years ago when not a lot of scientists were focused on this area.
In particular, he focused on gene therapy studies and he has had many breakthroughs in his career that have led up to this momentous achievement. He is now the group leader of Central Visual Circuits & Human Retinal Circuit Groups.
He started his education at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary. He achieved a degree in medicine before being awarded his Ph.D. from the University of California.
Since then, he has become a famous neurologist in his field, winning a number of awards including the coveted Semmelweis Budapest Award in 2019, the most prestigious recognition that is given by Semmelweis University, as well as the Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, a knighthood in Hungary.
Roska even received a commission as a visiting professor at Semmelweis University in 2019 allowing him to perform research at the institution, as well as hold lectures a