Neuroengineering approaches applied to the investigation of photoreceptor degeneration and to the restoration of sight
Event details
| Date | 26.06.2014 |
| Hour | 10:00 › 11:00 |
| Speaker | Dr Diego Ghezzi, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova IT. |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Inherited retinal dystrophies, such as Retinitis pigmentosa, form a large group of genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous diseases that are characterized by progressive loss of photoreceptor cells and concomitant loss of vision. They represent the major cause of adult blindness in industrialized countries, and despite enormous advances in the clinical treatment of eye diseases, there is no cure. After the successful clinical application of cochlear implants, bionic devices were exploited in the treatment of diverse acquired or hereditary neural defects including visual impairments. However, restoring vision can be much more complicated. Nevertheless, at least two multi-center clinical trials demonstrated the feasibility of retinal prostheses to restore a primitive form of light perception.
In this talk I will present results in the development of a novel photovoltaic retinal prosthesis based on organic conducting and semiconducting materials. Such polymers allowed the realization of a highly biocompatible photovoltaic device, able to accomodate the natural curvature of the subretinal space of the eye. Moreover, the prosthesis demonstrated to be able to restore light sensitivity after implantation in a rodent model of Retinitis pigmentosa. This results encouraged the testing of the prosthesis in a pre-clinical study on pigs.
Bio: Dr. Diego Ghezzi graduated in Biomedical Engineering in 2004 at Politecnico di Milano. In 2005, he was appointed at the Bioengineering Department (Politecnico di Milano) with a Ph.D. fellowship, granted from Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT). He obtained the Ph.D. in Bioengineering in 2008 pursuing investigation on optical stimulation of neurons with Prof. Giancarlo Ferrigno and working as student fellow in Prof. Flavia Valtorta laboratory (San Raffaele Scientific Institute, DIBIT, Milano, Italy). He joined IIT as postdoctoral fellow in 2008, working on several research projects with Dr. Laura Cancedda, Dr. Paolo Medini, and Prof. Fabio Benfenati. In 2014, Dr. Diego Ghezzi has been appointed Researcher at IIT. His interests are mainly related to the field of neuroengineering and neuroprosthetics applied to basic neuroscience and brain diseases. His research focused on the development of prosthetic solutions allowing the restoration of sight, and the subsequent translation of the results in human patients. Moreover, his more recent research activities relates to the use of neuroengineering approaches to investigate the impact of photoreceptor degeneration on retinal and cortical circuits.
In this talk I will present results in the development of a novel photovoltaic retinal prosthesis based on organic conducting and semiconducting materials. Such polymers allowed the realization of a highly biocompatible photovoltaic device, able to accomodate the natural curvature of the subretinal space of the eye. Moreover, the prosthesis demonstrated to be able to restore light sensitivity after implantation in a rodent model of Retinitis pigmentosa. This results encouraged the testing of the prosthesis in a pre-clinical study on pigs.
Bio: Dr. Diego Ghezzi graduated in Biomedical Engineering in 2004 at Politecnico di Milano. In 2005, he was appointed at the Bioengineering Department (Politecnico di Milano) with a Ph.D. fellowship, granted from Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT). He obtained the Ph.D. in Bioengineering in 2008 pursuing investigation on optical stimulation of neurons with Prof. Giancarlo Ferrigno and working as student fellow in Prof. Flavia Valtorta laboratory (San Raffaele Scientific Institute, DIBIT, Milano, Italy). He joined IIT as postdoctoral fellow in 2008, working on several research projects with Dr. Laura Cancedda, Dr. Paolo Medini, and Prof. Fabio Benfenati. In 2014, Dr. Diego Ghezzi has been appointed Researcher at IIT. His interests are mainly related to the field of neuroengineering and neuroprosthetics applied to basic neuroscience and brain diseases. His research focused on the development of prosthetic solutions allowing the restoration of sight, and the subsequent translation of the results in human patients. Moreover, his more recent research activities relates to the use of neuroengineering approaches to investigate the impact of photoreceptor degeneration on retinal and cortical circuits.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Recruitment seminar CNP, IBI, BMI