Public defence in Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, M.Sc. Sama Saeid

Title of the thesis: Transretinal electroretinography for preclinical drug and nanostructure testing

Doctoral student: Sama Saeid
Opponen: Professor Vladimir Kefalov, University of California, Irvine
Custos: Professor Ari Koskelainen, Aalto University School of Science, Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering

The retina is a neural tissue at the back of the eye that converts light into electrical signals, allowing us to see. Electroretinography (ERG) is a technique used to study retinal function by measuring these electrical responses. Transretinal electroretinography (tERG) is a specialized ERG setup that records electrical activity directly from isolated retinal tissue, providing a controlled environment for studying retinal function.

This study aimed to enhance tERG as a preclinical drug testing platform by examining how specific drugs affect retinal function, initially using mouse retinal tissue as a model. Additionally, a closed-perfusion system, introduced for the first time in this work, was developed to enable long-lasting, stable recordings while requiring only a small amount of test material, making it an efficient and cost-effective tool for drug screening. The research was further extended to human retinal tissue, offering a more physiologically relevant approach for evaluating drug safety.

This work is highly relevant to vision neuroscience and pharmaceutical research, providing a sensitive tool for detecting subtle drug-induced changes in retinal function. The findings contribute to safer drug development and advancements in retinal research, ultimately supporting the development of better treatments for vision-related diseases.

Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/doc_public/eonly/riiputus/ 

Doctoral theses at the School of Science: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/52