Lab visit to the University of California Irvine

Andrzej Foik visited the University of California Irvine (UCI, US). The visit was a continuation of the collaboration with prof. Krzysztof Palczewski, prof. David Lyon and dr. Dorota Skowonska-Krawczyk to develop therapies for retinal diseases. Dr. Foik performed several projects related to vision restoration and investigating changes in the brain due to vision loss. In one of the projects, Andrzej studied detailed visual responses after gene therapy using viral vectors and cutting-edge adenine base editing technique performed in prof. Palczewski laboratory. Another project was related to the changes happening in the entire visual system in the animal model of acute glaucoma. In this model increased ocular pressure causes the death of retinal ganglion cells. The research time wanted to find out the global impact on visual information processing caused by such changes in the retina and optic nerve and whether those visual functions can be restored using a particular treatment. In each of these projects, he used electrophysiological techniques to characterize single neurons' visual properties in the visual cortex and superior colliculus. Two main structures in the visual system in rodents.  Between experiments, Andrzej analyzed collected data and worked on manuscripts for publication. The research will be continued.

Visitor

Andrzej Foik

Dates

7 Feb.-31 Mar. 2021

Location

University of California Irvine, USA