PROJECT 8
Multimodal assessment of retinal function in end-stage glaucoma
Why?
Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease of the optic nerve and the most common cause of irreversible blindness. Retinal function of glaucoma patients can be tested reliably in early but not in advanced stages of disease. The aim of the project is to understand the sequence of events of functional, vascular and structural losses in glaucoma and to provide a tool for staging advanced glaucoma. This opens up possibilities for objective read-outs of success of future restorative therapies.
How?
A combined approach of dynamic vessel analysis, perimetry, and non-invasive electrophysiology will be applied to uncover the (1) diagnostic and (2) predictive power of micro-vasculature defects for the assessment of retinal dysfunction in end stage glaucoma to ultimately provide a tool for disease follow-up and severity staging.
What can you expect?
Embedded in a vibrant research environment, the candidate will gain extensive experience and expert insight into (i) clinical ophthalmic assessment including perimetry and OCT, (ii) glaucoma care and will (iii) pursue cutting-edge approaches of retinal function testing via retinal perfusion measurements and non-invasive electroretinography in order to (iv) contribute to the innovation of glaucoma research and treatment. As part of an enthusiastic interdisciplinary research team you will benefit from the wide academic exchange in national and international scientific networks, including secondments to academic and industry partners in the Netherlands and Germany.
Where?
The candidate will be located at (1) the Section for Clinical and Experimental Sensory Physiology of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany (PI: Hoffmann) known for its large, active neuroscience community and (2) in the Department of Ophthalmology of the UMCG of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands (PI: Jansonius). Both sites have a strong focus on glaucoma and the investigation of structure and function in eye diseases.
Who are we looking for?
You are exceptionally motivated to pursue a career in neuroscience and have a great interest in clinical and basic vision science. Strong programming skills (e.g. Python, PsychoPy, R, MatLab) and experience with quantitative neuroscience are essential requirements. Experience in systematic data-acquisition and non-invasive electrophysiology is a plus. Candidates with a background in vision science, neuroscience, neuroimaging, experimental psychology, ophthalmology, biology, physiology, physics, or related areas will be considered.
References
- Al-Nosairy KO, Prabhakaran G, Pappelis K, Thieme H, Hoffmann MB (2020). Combined multi-modal assessment of glaucomatous damage with electroretinography and optical coherence tomography/angiography. TVST 9.12.7
- Al-Nosairy KO, Thieme H, Hoffmann MB (2020). Diagnostic performance of multifocal photopic negative response, pattern electroretinogram and optical coherence tomography in glaucoma. Experimental Eye Research 200: 108242
- Al Nosairy K, Hoffmann MB, Bach M (2021). Non-invasive electrophysiology in glaucoma, structure and function – a review.
Eye 35:2374-2385 - Müller F, Al-Nosairy KO, Kramer FH, Meltendorf C, Djouoma N, Thieme H, Hoffmann MB, Hoffmann F (2022). Rapid campimetry – a novel screening method for glaucoma diagnosis. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11: 2156