Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU) has awarded the Röntgen Prize to biomedical scientist Dr. Dasha Elena Nelidova from the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB).

Dr. Nelidova was honored for her research work in the field of ophthalmology, which she has already published in articles in the renowned journal "Science". Dr. Nelidova has developed a novel method to restore vision after blindness caused by age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in industrialized countries.

This method is based on the reception of infrared radiation: Dr. Nelidova has combined nanotechnology and gene therapy to develop a sensor for the near-infrared range that enables patients to once again visually perceive their surroundings.

The Röntgen Prize is awarded for outstanding work on basic research in radiation physics and radiation biology. It is named after Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who was a professor in Giessen from 1879 to 1888. The award is primarily intended to honor the work of young scientists. The prize, which carries a purse of € 15,000, is sponsored in equal parts by Pfeiffer Vacuum and the Ludwig Schunk Foundation.