Successful kick-off of the EKFZ Academy
On 7th May 2025, we kicked-off the EKFZ Academy with an inspiring workshop on ethical and legal challenges of optogenetic research in cooperation with the NeurOPTICS research project team from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. The NeurOPTICS research project, led by Dr. Hans Zillmann, addresses ethical, social and legal questions in neuronal optogenetics and develops recommendations for a scientific and social discourse.
In two interactive seminars, the project team provided valuable insights into ethical and legal aspects of animal research as well as clinical research. Workshop participants and the NeurOPTICS group discussed the ethical challenges of animal research in optogenetics and jointly defined strategies for reducing animal experiments in the development of the medical device and gene transfer. Furthermore, they addressed the co-dependency of gene therapy and implant in clinical studies and debated how the five important ethical principles for clinical research – autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, justice and transparency – can be implemented in optogenetics.
We sincerely thank the NeurOPTICS research project team for this excellent and valuable workshop and are looking forward to further joint projects!
