Monday, September 07, 2020

Hungarian researcher wins prize for process that could restore sight
2020/9/7 
©Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
Presentation of the Koerber Prize in Hamburg - Botond Roska, a Hungarian physician, speaks during the presentation of the Koerber Prize, endowed with one million euros (1.18 million USD), at the Hamburg town hall. - Axel Heimken/dpa

Work on a procedure that might one day help restore sight to the blind earned a Hungarian researcher a 1-million-euro (1.18-million-dollar) prize in Germany on Monday.

Botond Roska, who works in the Swiss city of Basel, has found a gene therapy that reprogrammes cells in the human eye so that they can perform the work of the light-sensitive receptors needed for human vision, according to the Koerber Foundation, the prize-giver.

The procedure could reactivate the retinas of the blind.


Roska said that for now, the therapy creates a level of vision akin to watching an old black-and-white film. Clinical tests have begun on blind volunteers.

"Roska's research has woken up hope that new treatment methods might restore the ability to see in the blind," said Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher at the award ceremony.

The Koerber Foundation's prize has been awarded annually since 1985, honouring scientists whose work has applied futuristic techniques to the life and physical sciences.

Roska began his career in medicine "after a detour," said Tschentscher. The scientist first studied the cello, but had to give up the instrument following an injury, after which he began to pursue medicine and mathematics.

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