Optogenetics is a cutting-edge research method that uses light sensors from plants, bacteria, and animals, introduced into living cells via advanced genetic techniques, to control molecular processes with the precision of light. In neuroscience, this technology allows for the precise activation and deactivation of individual nerve cells in living animals, facilitating targeted studies of cause-and-effect relationships in intact neural networks. Optogenetics is also demonstrating its clinical potential, as exemplified by a groundbreaking translational study where the expression of red light-activated ion channels in retinal neuronal cells restored basic vision in a previously blind patient.

Our research aims to delve deeper into the inner workings of cells and develop new approaches to control subcellular processes with light. Various organelles are responsible for the cell's structure, recycling, and energy balance, and even minor disruptions in these natural physiological processes can lead to significant health issues. Subcellular compartments also play a crucial role in different signaling pathways, which are essential for complex neurobiological processes such as memory consolidation and require precise coordination. We develop methods to specifically alter the reaction conditions at the level of individual organelles and compartments, to mimic disease states for basic research or to treat disease conditions for future medical applications. At the same time, we are creating new molecular tools to address different signaling pathways with high specificity, locality, and temporal resolution, and to combine them using different wavelengths of light. New light sensors or photoreceptors can be discovered metagenomically or developed biosynthetically, representing fascinating research subjects in terms of their structure and function. In our lab, we aim to understand their molecular mechanisms through a combination of biophysical methods, ranging from patch-clamp electrophysiology to absorption spectroscopy.

We share new optogenetic tools with the global research community, along with protocols for their proper use, thereby laying the foundation for new therapeutic approaches to a range of neurodegenerative diseases.