IOB - Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel

🧪 🧫 Photoreceptors depend on exquisitely organised cilia, with disruptions in microtubule regulation compromising retinal health. Beyond providing molecular diagnoses to affected families, this work deepens our understanding of ciliary biology, and highlights why fundamental research matters.
#Cilia

📏🔬In collaboration with @computingcaitie.bsky.social and @cellarchlab.com, SAXO6 localization was mapped along ciliary microtubules with direct links to α-tubulin, linking this structural protein class to human retinal disease for the first time.
👉 @ajhgnews.bsky.social
#Ophthalmology

🧬 New IRD gene identified!
IOB researchers (@abimoye.bsky.social, @mquinodoz.bsky.social, @carlorivolta.bsky.social) found pathogenic variants in SAXO6 (formerly MDM1) in families with a rare late-onset retinal degeneration.

🔗 www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltex...

#AcademicBlueSky

So what’s SAXO6 doing?

🧪 🧫 Photoreceptors depend on exquisitely organised cilia, with disruptions in microtubule regulation compromising retinal health. Beyond providing molecular diagnoses to affected families, this work deepens our understanding of ciliary biology, and highlights why fundamental research matters.
#Cilia

📏🔬In collaboration with @computingcaitie.bsky.social and @cellarchlab.com, SAXO6 localization was mapped along ciliary microtubules with direct links to α-tubulin, linking this structural protein class to human retinal disease for the first time.
👉 @ajhgnews.bsky.social
#Ophthalmology

🧬 New IRD gene identified!
IOB researchers (@abimoye.bsky.social, @mquinodoz.bsky.social, @carlorivolta.bsky.social) found pathogenic variants in SAXO6 (formerly MDM1) in families with a rare late-onset retinal degeneration.

🔗 www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltex...

#AcademicBlueSky

So what’s SAXO6 doing?

🧬 Major breakthrough: IOB researchers identify new genetic cause of inherited blindness in overlooked RNA genes. The discovery solves decades-old diagnostic mystery and opens new pathways for many patients worldwide.
➡️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#AcademicBlueSky #Genetics #VisionResearch #IRDs

🌟New hope for vision restoration: Congratulations to Bence György on his 5-year @erc.europa.eu Consolidator Grant. His proposal was selected among 3121 applications from across Europe - a strong vote of confidence in our work at IOB!
#ERCCoG #BaseEditing #VisionResearch #Blindness #AcademicBlueSky

🌟New hope for vision restoration: Warm congratulations to Bence György on his 5-year @erc.europa.eu Consolidator Grant to advance base editing for genetic macular degeneration and explore therapies for corneal blindness.
#ERCCoG #BaseEditing #VisionResearch #Blindness #AcademicBlueSky

🎉 Big congratulations to @karkam.bsky.social who has just been awarded the PRO RETINA Research Award 2025 for her latest paper in American Journal of Human Genetics!

#ResearchAward #AcademicBlueSky #Ophthalmology #MacularDystrophy #Lysosomes #RetinalDisease #VisionResearch #RareDiseases

🚨 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 🚨

Looking for your next academic step?
Join our interdisciplinary IOB MD-PhD / PhD Program to explore the visual system and pioneer therapies for eye diseases.

⏰ Deadline: November 16, 2025 (midnight CET)

🔗 iob.ch/phd-md-phd-program

#IOB #Basel #PhDProgram #VisionScience

Can a blind retina be made sensitive to infrared light? Our team shows that an engineered human TRPV1 channel, delivered by AAV, elicits robust responses without foreign proteins or nanoparticles.
🔗 bit.ly/4gt0LO5
#AcademicBlueSky #ProteinEngineering #TRPChannels #SyntheticBiology #Vision #Retina

🧬 How can we navigate the genetic complexity of inherited retinal diseases?
Our new paper in @ajhgnews.bsky.social presents RetiGene, a curated atlas of IRD genes, built with @erdc-team.bsky.social, to support diagnosis, research and therapy.
👉 bit.ly/467U1S9
#AcademicBlueSky #IRDs #VisionResearch

🧬 How can we navigate the genetic complexity of inherited retinal diseases?
Our new paper in @ajhgnews.bsky.social presents RetiGene, a curated atlas of IRD genes, built with @erdc-team.bsky.social, to support diagnosis, research and therapy.
👉 bit.ly/467U1S9
#AcademicBlueSky #IRDs #VisionResearch

🔬👁️ Organoids in the spotlight!
Magdalena Renner, leading IOB’s organoid platform, shares how high-throughput organoid systems are transforming research and speeding up the path to therapies for eye diseases. Read more: bit.ly/4mquwjP
#VisionResearch #HistoBrick #Blindness #Retina #AcademicBlueSky

Single-cell electroporation is performed via patch pipette and under 2-photon visual guidance in vivo. A short voltage pulse train is applied through the pipette to deliver RNA molecules into a targeted cell. The video below shows this process in cortical neurons expressing GCaMP6s.

In vivo single-cell gene editing using RNA electroporation reveals sequential adaptation of cortical neurons to excitatory-inhibitory imbalance The balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission is fundamental for normal brain function, yet the adaptation of individual neurons to disrupted excitatory-inhibitory balance is not wel...

Gene editing of single, targeted neurons in vivo is now feasible. We are proud to present our preprint for highly efficient single-cell electroporation using RNA. With @alex-fratzl.bsky.social, @munzlab.bsky.social, Botond Roska @iobswiss.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

👏Warm congratulations to our former IOB postdoctoral fellow @fionamuellner.bsky.social on her new role as Group Leader at @dandrite.bsky.social & Associate Professor at Aarhus University — and on receiving a prestigious ERC Starting Grant!
@erc.europa.eu

This changes how we think about vision: timing coordination starts in the eye - not the brain! Check out @anbucci.bsky.social & @ffranke.bsky.social's discovery: nature.com/articles/s41...
#Neuroscience #Vision #RGCs #RetinalResearch #AcademicBlueSky #EyeResearch #ScientificDiscovery

🧠👁️ How does your eye prevent seeing a scrambled world? @anbucci.bsky.social and @ffranke.bsky.social reveal the eye's secret "clockwork": bigger axons = faster signals = perfect visual timing!
📖 Full paper nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02011-3
#Vision #AcademicSky #Neuroscience #Retina
Image ©IOB

🧠👁️ How does your eye prevent seeing a scrambled world? @anbucci.bsky.social and @ffranke.bsky.social reveal the eye's secret "clockwork": bigger axons = faster signals = perfect visual timing!
📖 Full paper nature.com/articles/s41593-025-02011-3
#Vision #AcademicSky #Neuroscience #Retina
Image ©IOB

🚨 We are hiring!
IOB is looking for an enthusiastic IT career starter (Level 1 Helpdesk) to join our support team. Whether you are a student, graduate, or making a career change, this entry-level role is a great opportunity to launch your path in IT.
Interested? 👉 iob.ch/join-iob/ope...
#AcademicSky

🧬👁️Discover how research and patient care come together in the latest Novartis Live magazine — with stories from the labs and clinics shaping the future of vision.

🔗 bit.ly/4km6XZ0

#IOB #VisionScience #TranslationalResearch #Basel #Ophthalmology #AcademicSky #Novartis

🔬 We are hiring!

Research Assistant/Associate (100%) – Molecular Mechanisms of Myopia

📍 Location: Basel
🧪 Background in molecular biology, genomics, neuroscience or related field
💼 Full-time position

Apply now or share!
iob.ch/join-iob/ope...

What controls eye growth?
10 key insights from decades of myopia research - from retinal feedback to red light therapy, here is what we know:
🔗 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#Myopia #VisionResearch #Ophthalmology #GlobalHealth #AcademicBlueSky

Image © IOB, generated with Google AI, 2025

🧬IOB researchers (@Mukhtarullah.bsky.social
@karkam.bsky.social @carlorivolta.bsky.social
@mquinodoz.bsky.social) and international team uncover genetic signatures of eye diseases in Pakistan
📖 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#Genetics #Vision #AcademicSky

Image © IOB, generated with Google AI, Gemini

🧠 Brain efficiency doesn't need perfect organization

Random neural responses can lead to better information processing than precisely tuned ones.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@ravadasilveira.bsky.social | image © IOB, 2025
#AcademicSky #Neuroscience #ScienceNews

Bi-allelic variants in three genes encoding distinct subunits of the vesicular AP-5 complex cause hereditary macular dystrophy We discovered genetic changes in three genes (AP5Z1, AP5M1, and AP5B1) that cause macular degeneration, affecting sharp central vision. The proteins encoded by these genes form a complex that helps th...

New hope for inherited vision loss
IOB researchers (@karkam.bsky.social, @carlorivolta.bsky.social, @mquinodoz.bsky.social, @abimoye.bsky.social) identify AP5Z1, AP5M1, AP5B1 mutations, revealing new causes of macular dystrophy.
🔗 www.cell.com/ajhg/fulltex...
#AcademicBlueSky #Ophthalmology

🧠 How does your brain create mental maps?

New research reveals a surprisingly simple mathematical principle behind complex spatial representations! From rodents to bats, same rules apply 🐁🦇

#Neuroscience #BrainScience #ScienceNews #AcademicBluesky

Read more here: www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...

We are thrilled to have contributed to this innovative research published in Advanced Functional Materials, together with the team of @tobiasruff.bsky.social‬ at ETH!

Check out the full paper: advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
🧠 #neuroscience #brainresearch #academicsky