From October 9 to 11, 2025, the second Optogenetics Meeting took place in Uslar/Volpriehausen at the country hotel “Am Rothenberg”. During these inspiring days, experts in the field of optogenetics gathered to present and discuss new data. Furthermore, there were exciting insights into the research work.
The Optogenetics Meeting is also a platform for young scientists to present their work in the form of short talks and posters. In total, over 100 people from Europe, America, China, etc. participated.
Summary of the event and some highlights:
• The event was organized by the University Medical Center Göttingen, Else Kröner-Fresenius Center for Optogenetic Therapies, represented by Tobias Moser, Emilie Macé, and Tobias Brügmann, as well as other participating Göttingen research institutions.
• International speakers, guests, and two keynote lectures.
Ilona Grunwald Kadow (University of Bonn) “Glia–Dopamine Interactions in Metabolic State-Dependent Behavior in Drosophila”
Andreas Möglich (University of Bayreuth) “The Power of the Dark Side – Optogenetic Control by Near-Infrared Light”
• Poster presentations
• Short talks by early career researchers
• Awards for best presentation and best posters
The closing of the event was moderated by Emilie Macé. She had the special task of congratulating the winners of the talk and poster prizes and presenting them with their certificates.
The awards for the best poster went to:
Lennard Rohr, Ruhr University Bochum
Shreshth Shekhar, University Medical Center Göttingen, Department of Ophthalmology
Title: Brain wide correlates of optogenetic vision restoration using functional ultrasound imaging
Raluca Tifrea, Charité, University Medicine Berlin
Title: Advancing Optogenetic Inhibition: New and Improved Potassium-Selective Channelrhodopsins for prolonged hyperpolarization
Nils Witte, Charité, Cluster of Excellence NeuroCure
Title: Light-induced Calcium Signaling in Subcellular Compartments
Anna Vavakou, University Medical Center Göttingen, Institute for Auditory Neuroscience
Title: Advancing optogenetic hearing restoration through cross-modal optimization
Photo: Emilie Macé, Anna Vavakou, Lennard Rohr, Raluca Tifrea, Nils Witte, Shreshth Shekahar (from left to right)
Niels Albrecht
The best talk was chosen by the audience. Participants were able to cast their votes online for this.
We extend our sincere congratulations to all winners for their outstanding achievements.
Furthermore, our thanks go to all speakers, guests, sponsors, and organizers for their contributions, support, and valuable, inspiring exchange.
For more information, visit:
optogenetics2025.uni-goettingen.de
ekfz.uni-goettingen.de
Mbexc.de
