14.11.2013

Press Release: Lush Prize for CIN PhD Student Katja Reinhard

PhD student Katja Reinhard, a member of the Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics Junior Research Group led by Thomas Münch, has been recognized by the international cosmetics firm Lush for her ground-breaking research on the human retina. The prize, which comes in in the young researcher category and is worth 12,500 GBP, was announced in a ceremony in London on November 13.

Katja's research looks at the human retina, which has received little attention from scientists in comparison with the retinas of animals, to see how this part of the eye processes visual information. To do this she used corneas donated by patients who have either died or had to have an eye removed for medical reasons. It is hoped that the results of this scientific research will lead to a better understanding of the eye and contribute to better treatment strategies for blindness, which affects 285 million people worldwide. Katja also has a scholarship from the PRO RETINA foundation, a patients' group that supports medical and scientific research into blindness.

Organization:

• Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience

Reseach Group: Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics

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