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Professorship for translational ophthalmology established at University Medical Center Göttingen to accelerate the clinical development of optogenetic treatments
Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe/Göttingen, May 28, 2026 – On May 1, 2026, Dr. Christian van Oterendorp assumed the Else Kröner Professorship for Translational Ophthalmology within the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Medical Center Göttingen. Established by the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) as part of its funding for the Else Kröner-Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies, the new professorship aims to advance the planned clinical studies of Team II Optogenetic Vision Restoration (led by Prof. Dr. Emilie Macé and Prof. Dr. Hans Hoerauf) over the coming years. Optogenetics is a specialized form of gene therapy that uses genetically engineered, light-sensitive proteins to make cells responsive to light.
Since 2024, the EKFS has funded a research center that is unique in Germany: the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Optogenetic Therapies. Innovative optogenetic therapies are being developed there for patients affected by deafness, blindness, gastroparesis, and movement disorders. The aim is to translate new optogenetic procedures into clinical practice.
Within the field of ophthalmology, the focus is on conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa, an incurable retinal disorder that frequently leads to blindness. In this condition, the light-sensitive photoreceptors in the retina gradually degenerate. Optogenetic therapies aim to restore light sensitivity in the remaining retinal neurons, with the goal of partially recovering vision.
The research team led by Prof. Dr. Christian van Oterendorp, Prof. Dr. Emilie Macé and Prof. Dr. Tim Gollisch wishes to draw on the combined expertise at the EKFZ for Optogenetic Therapies to develop new treatment approaches to restore vision in blind individuals. In parallel, clinical studies are being conducted at the University Medical Center Göttingen to better understand retinal degeneration and lay the groundwork for targeted optogenetic therapies. Rehabilitation strategies that help patients make the best possible use of their restored light sensitivity in everyday life also form part of the research.
Prof. Dr. Christian van Oterendorp studied medicine in Freiburg im Breisgau. After clinical training at the Eye Center of the University Medical Center Freiburg and at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, he has been an attending physician since 2014 and a senior attending physician since 2023 at the Eye Clinic of the University Medical Center Göttingen. His research focuses on the survival and degeneration processes of retinal ganglion cells and three-dimensional imaging of the aqueous humor outflow pathway.
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) – Advancing research. Helping people.
The Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is a nonprofit foundation that promotes medical research and supports humanitarian projects. To date the foundation has funded around 3,000 projects. With an annual funding volume currently of approximately 90 million euros, it is the largest foundation in Germany supporting medical advancement. For more information, see https://ekfs.de/en
Press contact:
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung
Bianka Jerke
Public Relations
Tel.: + 49 6172 8975-24
Email: b.jerke@ekfs.de
Dr. Cornelia Voß
Scientific Funding (EKFZs)
c.voss@ekfs.de
+49 (0)6172 8975-21
https://ekfs.de/en/current-topics/press/first-four-else-kroner-professorships-be...
Prof. Dr. Christian van Oterendorp
Quelle: UMG
Copyright: UMG
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Prof. Dr. Christian van Oterendorp
Quelle: UMG
Copyright: UMG
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